| My rating | IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Critics | Audience | Critics | Audience | |
| 8.5/10 | 62/100 | 7.5/10 | 74% | 81% |
Dealing with a person with a strong personality can be challenging. Imagine, then, having to deal with someone with 23 different personalities! This is the premise of Split, the latest film by the well-known director M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, etc.).
Split tells the story of Kevin (James McAvoy), a man diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder, which makes him have 23 different personalities. For this reason, sometimes he is Kevin, but also is Hedwig, a 9-year-old boy, or Dennis, a man with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, or Patricia, a woman who manages to control Dennis when he gets angry, among others.
The first personality we know is Dennis because he kidnaps three girls early in the film on the grounds that they will be useful – supposedly the 24th personality, still unknown, needs them. Among the three teenagers, there is Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy), a lonely and introverted girl who was attending a party by pity and was only with the other two colleagues because she accepted a ride home offered by the birthday girl’s father. Throughout the film we find out why Casey isolates herself from everyone, but that makes her get closer to Hedwig as she tries to figure out a way to escape from the basement where they are trapped.
The story is very interesting, especially for those who like movies that analyze their characters more deeply, making them more complex than simply framing them as “good” or “bad.” It is not a coincidence, therefore, that M. Night Shyamalan inserted a character to be Kevin’s psychologist. Dr. Karen Fletcher (Betty Buckley) explains to him, and to the audience, how Dissociative Identity Disorder works, as well as the challenges faced by patients who suffer from it.
The best part of the film is, of course, to watch the wonderful performance of James McAvoy. He is able to transform himself very easily, especially in the scenes in which his character talks to himself. In these scenes, he must take on the various personalities in sequence, altering his voice, accent, posture, etc., overshadowing the rest of the cast (who is also extremely competent).
The score by West Dylan Thordson also helps to increase the tension of the film. Still on the score, here’ an advice to fans of M. Night Shyamalan, without spoilers: pay close attention to it, especially at the climax of the story.
The ending of Split is one of those that divide the audience: many will be surprised and enthused, as it happened to me, others simply will not care. Unfortunately, that’s all I can reveal without describing what happens. The best way to find out in which of the options you fit is by watching the movie! It’s worth it!
