Split (2016) Movie Review

“Three girls are kidnapped by a man with a diagnosed 23 distinct personalities. They must try to escape before the apparent emergence of a frightful new 24th.” – IMDb

Split

Starring James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy, Betty Buckley

Written and Directed by M. Night Shyamalan

Box Office:  $278,454,417 worldwide

Before I begin my review of Split…

I want to address that no, I do not know a lot about DID (Dissociative identity disorder).  In numerous articles, people are saying that Shyamalan is simply exploiting a disorder in order to make Split a Box Office hit.  Everyone has a right to their own opinions, and I do not wish to be insensitive when it comes to those who do have the disorder.  However, I must say that I don’t believe that was Shyamalan’s motive.

He did adequate amounts of research, and both of his parents were Doctors.  I don’t believe it is a lack of respect that drove him to do this film.  To me, I think it is more just general… curiosity.  Isn’t that what a lot of art is?  To see how to twist something related to real life in order to create? To learn something?

I went into the movie with an open mind and I was prepared to be a bit upset with Shyamalan.  Instead, I was surprised by how much I disagreed with critics who said it was merely a cash grab.  Yes, he spun an actual disorder and made the character who has it be of a malevolent nature.  When in reality, those with DID should not be seen as dangerous or violent.

“I wanted to take something scientific and psychologically proven and keep going with it,” he explained recently. “The first two, three steps have been proven, then the next one was not proven, but it’s a question. Do you believe it, what I’m suggesting?”- M. Night Shyamalan

Shyamalan is not the first director to use DID or similar disorders in films.

Fight Club, Psycho, the list goes on.  I don’t think he should be persecuted for doing something that has been done so many times before.  Yes, he seems to have many characters that have psychological issues or disabilities- such as in The Village and Unbreakable. However, this movie is a thematic sequel to Unbreakable (more on that later).  The fact that this theme is once again apparent in his film does not surprise me.

I also believe that people should know the true facts about the disorder.  They should not simply believe what they see in films, (horror films on top of it) before passing judgment.  If you are upset over Shyamalan’s portrayal of the disorder, then simply do not watch it.  Don’t be upset that a director of films in the Horror/Thriller genres, used a disorder to add a twist to a character in his horror film.

No, this film does not make us understand the true conditions of what it means to have DID.  He is not doing a documentary on the disorder.  Yes, the stigma associated with it will continue- IF people don’t question what they watch.

I do, however, feel bad for those suffering from the disorder who say that simply seeing the preview was a trigger for them.  That, I would not know how to handle.  To read further about this subject, refer to this article done by The Guardian, which was very interesting.  Overall, even with the criticism, I believe Shyamalan used his twist of DID well and even at times, quite artfully.

Review

*Be warned, there may be spoilers.  I try not to include them but even the smallest piece of info may be seen as spoiling the film.

The film begins with three teenage girls getting kidnapped by McAvoy’s character, Kevin.  At this point, though, it’s his personality known as “Dennis”.  This may be confusing; bear with me.

We soon see that the girls are being kept in a cellar-resembling room at an unknown location.  During their interactions with their kidnapper in the cellar, the girls realize they are not dealing with just Dennis but also Hedwig, Barry, and Patricia.  We do not get a chance to meet all 24 of Kevin’s personalities during the film.  However, McAvoy’s acting is so great that we are able to get an idea of the torment he goes through every day because of them.

In between the scenes of the girls attempting to escape, we see Kevin meeting with his psychiatrist, played by Betty Buckley.  During these sessions, we learn more about the different personalities Kevin embodies.  We also learn of the childhood abuse he endured at the hands of his Mother. This ends up playing a very large role during the film’s climax.   I do not want to give too much of the film away, therefore I will leave other important pieces of information out.  However, once you see the final scene, you will see how it all ties in to Unbreakable and I hope that it means there will be another film on the way.  I had chills for 10 minutes after this film was over because of the final scene and I thought it was simply perfect.

Do the girls escape?  Does Kevin get caught?

I’ll let you find that out on your own.

Shyamalan’s recent work has not been amazing.  In fact, I believe one of his last films I enjoyed was done in 2004 when he released The Village.  Even then, compared to Signs, it was not my favorite film.  I agree with many other critics when they say that Split is now putting Shyamalan back on the map.  I was interested in seeing how Shyamalan’s most recent film did compared to his others.  However, the main reason I wanted to see Split was that I have been a fan of James McAvoy ever since his Wanted days.

The moment I saw a preview of his acting in this film, I just knew that I had to see it.  He does not disappoint.  This was by far, the best work I have seen him do and I would watch this film a hundred times over just to witness his talent again.  He truly made this film the piece of art that it is and he has me shaking my head in awe.  People who have not seen the film say that his character is simply a “psycho killer who kidnaps girls”.  Once you see the roles he portrays, you know that it is just not true.  You tend to sympathize with his character and what he is going through and that is because of McAvoy’s acting.

The film is not merely seeing all of the horrible things his character can do.  In fact, all of those scenes together, (with the exception of holding the girls captive), probably only add up to 5 minutes and you barely see anything.  This film is not about how his disorder causes a bloodbath thanks to “The Beast”.  We see more of what the disorder forces him to live with every single day.

There is a scene close to the end, where we are not left with any of the 24 personalities, but we meet Kevin- the “original man” for the first time.  He is the man whose body and mind, holds all of the other personalities we have met.  When we begin to understand, it makes my heart sink.  That scene provokes emotions I was not expecting.

Overall, I absolutely loved this movie.

The running time is 117 minutes, but it goes quickly.  There were only a few moments when I felt it dragged just a tiny bit.  As I said above, the scene at the very end ties this film in with Unbreakable and it gives me chills that return every time I think of it.  Once again, I do not wish to give it away, but I will say that the cameo involved makes us hope that there will be another installment in which aspects of two films will come together.  If that does happen, I will eagerly be awaiting its release.

What did you think of Split?  What are your thoughts on using not only DID, but other disabilities/illnesses in films?  Let me know by commenting below!

Is it one of your favorite movies too, but you still haven’t purchased it yet? You can find great prices for it on Amazon (Split [Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD] (Bilingual)).