By Jason Yon
Elm Staff Writer
“Split,” M. Night Shyamalan’s most recent venture, was released to a skeptical crowd this winter. Anyone familiar with Shyamalan’s work would recognize that his films have taken a steady dive in quality since the early 2000s, excluding “The Visit” (2015). Shyamalan makes a triumphant return to the lower budget psychological thrillers that originally put him on the map with “Split.” The movie refrains from falling into the pit of flashy money-consuming effects and instead focuses on the characters in simple environments. This works fantastically well considering the point of “Split” is to explore the world of a man whose body is inhabited by 23 unique personalities.
The film begins with Casey Cooke (Anya Taylor-Joy) and two friends returning from a birthday party. Before their father can finish loading up the car, a man wearing a dust mask enters the car, incapacitates the teenage girls with a spray and drives away. They awake to find themselves locked in a basement held by Kevin (James McAvoy). It soon becomes apparent that Kevin is not just Kevin. He suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) and his body is controlled by 23 separate personalities throughout the film: Miss Patricia has severe temper issues, Dennis is compulsive and overly concerned with cleanliness, and Hedwig is a hyperactive 9-year-old boy. All of the personalities begin to hint at a darker, more destructive 24th personality that eagerly awaits control of the body and the consumption of the kidnapped girls.
The most enjoyable part of “Split” is watching the different personalities interact with the girls, Kevin’s psychologist, and themselves. Most, if not all, of the credit for the success of this film belongs to James McAvoy’s masterful representation of the different personalities, which were in a sense separate characters. While a wardrobe change could aide in identifying the current personality, McAvoy did not require costumes into change to a drastically different character. His subtle changes in posture, accents, and facial mannerisms changed him from one character to another instantaneously. There are several scenes where McAvoy holds entire conversations with himself while portraying two or more characters. It is absolutely amazing, and had the movie been released only weeks sooner, he would have been a strong contender for an Oscar nomination. McAvoy absolutely steals the show and commands the audience’s attention every moment he is in the frame.
One of the bigger surprises of “Split” was the disparity between the trailer and the actual film. Had the film been strictly tied to how it was portrayed in the trailer, it would have ended up as a cheap gory horror movie with most of the runtime being filled with the monster. Instead, the movie pleasantly spends a great amount of time on the characters or personalities and the buildup before the monster is revealed. The time spent on these characters gives them meaning as well makes the movie more purposeful.
“Split” is an excellent display of James McAvoy’s acting prowess as well as the possible return of Shyamalan’s former greatness as a filmmaker. Unfortunately, the movie is subject to the trademark “Shyamalan twist” which will delight some and confuse many. It didn’t completely ruin the movie, but left a sour taste that hasn’t yet dissipated. On the positive side, “Split” features some blunt commentary on physical abuse and the roots of mental illness that may spark curiosity on the topic and possible action on the issue. When watched solely for Mcavoy’s performance, it becomes an impressive and fascinating cinematic accomplishment certainly worthy of recognition.
Score: B+