Split

The ideas behind “Split” are off-putting at first, but I say stick with it. The film comes together nicely at the end, particularly when you consider the film's core theme.

 Spoiler alert - click to reveal textTeenagers Claire (Haley Lu Richardson), Marcia (Jessica Sula) and Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy) have been kidnapped. Their abductor, Kevin (James McAvoy) suffers from dissociative identity disorder. They are assured that they won’t be hurt, at least not until a new identity, “The Beast”, arrives.

If you’ve seen the previews for “Split”, you might think that they’ve spoiled too much. Don’t worry. The fact that Kevin has 23 distinct personalities is just the tip of the iceberg. This is a film made in the style of a comic book. Not because it has superheroes, but because it proposes an alternate reality than ours, one that takes things that in real-life would be detrimental (like having multiple personalities residing inside your body) and turns them into, essentially, a superpower. Think of characters like Two-Face or Arnold Wesker, the Ventriloquist. Would either of them really be successfully running elaborate crime rings? Shouldn’t they, being completely insane, be worse criminals than “normal people”? The key to it making sense is in the context, execution, and tone. It may not be obvious at first, but “Split” is “similarly” set in a world where everything that happens here makes sense.

 Spoiler alert - click to reveal textThis idea of “The Beast” kept me guessing I was interested in the small cast of characters as they struggled to make sense of their situation and their repeated attempts to escape. Aiding the film is James McAvoy. He’s up to the task of playing multiple “characters” within the same body and trying and figure out who is “in charge” from the clues given by his performance keeps you invested. It’s all about his performance or even the performances within the performance as Kevin tries to act as if everything is ok when it isn’t. There’s a good amount of escalation as the plot progresses and more information about Kevin is revealed.  Spoiler alert - click to reveal textThere’s intrigue as you try to figure out how Casey fits in this story (wait to the end to find out) and the ending is very suspenseful. It’s clear that Shyamalan has thought the plot through and knows what he’s doing. You hear that there are 23 personalities involved in the story and you picture this carousel freak show thing, but it’s not that. It’s elegantly executed. A tad long maybe but should a follow-up be made, I’d be excited to see it.

I’m glad that “Split” starts off with a premise that will alienate some from the get-go. For those that stick around, it all makes sense in the end. It’s suspenseful with good performances and a great ending. If you think “Split” is up your alley, I think it will be. (Theatrical version on the big screen, January 21, 2017)