‘Split’ Injects Psychology Into The Modern Thriller | Film Review

In what some would say has been over a decade since M. Night Shyamalan has put an intriguing and worthy piece of work on screen, he is back at it again with the twists, turns, and trickery in Split. This time, real-life circumstances are surfaced in a very terrifying way. Shyamalan takes a fascinating look into the world of psychological disorders and the laughable attention they receive.

James McAvoy brilliantly portrays Kevin, a man diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID); also known as having multiple personalities. Kevin has a total of 23 personalities known to his doctor (Betty Buckley), and one more that has yet to surface. In a matter of two hours, we meet about one-third of these personalities, and each one is carefully and diligently transitioned from one to the next by McAvoy. There isn’t an ounce of disappointment in any of his characters. One second, he’s a serious and aggressive man, and – with the precision timing of a clock – the next he’s a 9 year old boy. His changeovers are thoroughly impressive, especially when they’re happening in a SPLIT second.

In the midst of meetings between Kevin’s personalities and Buckley’s Dr. Fletcher, three teenage girls have been kidnapped and are attempting every possibility including peeing on themselves to find an escape. These girls, Casey Cooke (Anya Taylor- Joy), Claire Benoit (Haley Lu Richardson), and Marcia (Jessica Sula) must fight their own fears and pry into the psyche of Kevin and all of his counterparts to find their way out alive. Whether they can accomplish this before Kevin achieves his ominous end goal becomes the journey that propels us towards the film’s conclusion.

We’re given an unsettling backstory on Casey, unlike the others, which give insight into who she is now. That’s one of the largest meanings in the film, it feels like. How trauma can affect one’s mind and life, and how those considered broken are keener to surviving traumatic situations than those who aren’t. The acting is nothing subpar here, with a full cast of outstanding performers. Anya Taylor-Joy, gives feeling to every “pure” heart out there, while Betty Buckley is playing the part of a well-versed psychiatrist in only the best of ways.

You’ll find yourself betrothed in the combination of reality and supernatural, impatiently waiting to meet the next personality. M. Night attempts to give his audience a puzzle so that by the end, we’re fully engaged in putting together the pieces. However, he falls shy in some of his subtleties, so portions of the plot are figured out fairly early on. With that comes a bit of misdirection. The first two acts lead in one very certain path, while the third doesn’t play along as well. It feels in the beginning as though this may be a film that finally takes mental health seriously and breaks the stigma, but the last act somewhat eats away at the idea with a very dramatic turn in direction.

The most fascinating aspect of Split truthfully is the portrayal of Dissociative Identity Disorder. Giving insight to an uneducated audience on the topic is crucial and exceptionally done. It surely gives the reassurance that they are people just like the rest of us, except their minds are so incredibly advanced, our own can only try to comprehend. A beautiful piece in the story reminds us all how truly mesmerizing the broken are; the broken are the ones who have endured trauma in exasperating ways and they’re the same ones to survive. It’s astounding what the human brain can do. Also – what trauma can do to the brain and psyche… And etcetera.

As far as M. Night Shyamalan films go, with stellar acting and – mostly – acute interpretations of psychological disorders, Split is no Sixth Sense, but it damn sure isn’t another Lady in the Water.