M. Night Shyamalan’s “Split” is two hours of pure insanity. The exploration of an individual suffering from severe dissociative personality disorder through his interaction with three young girls he has kidnapped offers us both a thrilling and dangerous game of cat and mouse, giving us an intriguing glimpse into the mind(s) of a madman.
Shyamalan has excellently constructed and tediously built a universe in which the viewer must abandon some notion of reality and accept the strange and terrifying things portrayed before them, but that’s only part of the film’s strengths.
“Split” can be divided into two distinct sections, with the three kidnapped girls interacting with the various personalities of Kevin, portrayed excellently by James McAvoy. The first part of the film includes particularly three malevolent identities continually warning the girls of the terror that is to come in the second section, becoming a very thrilling and unique film in its final acts.
Two excellent performances carried the film, with McAvoy’s bizarre and animated portrayal of Kevin being matched in intensity by Casey, played by Anya Taylor-Joy, a quiet and troubled girl who seems to have something figured out about Kevin that the other girls just don’t seem to grasp.
By the film’s end, Casey feels like a person that the audience actually knows and feels sympathy for. The interactions between her and Kevin seem so desperate and feel fully contrived in their execution by Shyamalan, with each of McAvoy’s different performances as the individual identities requiring a different reaction by Taylor-Joy’s foil.
The film seamlessly balances and blends the taut tension of the kidnapping with flashbacks to Casey’s past and the gradual development of Kevin’s dangerous personalities in a masterful way. “Split” makes the audience ask questions and piece the different narratives together, finally allowing all questions to be answered in the film’s final few moments. Though the film requires the audience to suspend their disbelief a bit to accept its climax, it has done a great job of building its world and ideas up to that point that it isn’t too much of a stretch to accept the explanations.
Finally, the film’s final seconds suggest the potential connection between the movie and some of Shyamalan’s other films which completely changes the feeling and tone of all that has come before, but only if you are able to pick up on the reference. However, the fact that the subtle reference could go over most viewer’s heads without compromising the experience or the audience’s understanding of the film is testament to the quality and masterful story craftsmanship on display in “Split.”
Rating: 4.5/5
