Critical Review: “Split”— Dissociative Endings

M. Night Shyamalan’s twisted thriller, “Split”, forces the audience to confront feelings of

fear, anxiety and sympathy. Shyamalan exceeds expectations of gore and delivers a suspenseful

film that leaves the theatergoers deliberating. James McAvoy portrayed the lead character, Kevin

Wendell Crumb whose multiple personalities yield reactions from every spectrum.

This Universal Pictures horror film begins like any other horror film, blissfully clueless to

what the future holds, but takes twists and turns that captivate the audience. Three girls, Casey

Cooke (Anya Taylor-Joy), Claire Benoit (Haley Lu Richardson) and Marcia (Jessica Sula) are

kidnapped by a man who suffers from dissociative identity disorder. In a mysterious location, the

captive girls work together to figure out how to escape their inevitable fate. Initially, they come

face-to face-with Dennis, the obsessive compulsive kidnapper. Quickly, the girls become

acquainted with two more of the 23 personalities, nine-year-old Hedwig and Miss Patricia the

haute “lady” in charge. Hedwig and Miss Patricia alert the girls to the coming of something

greater than everyone, the 24th personality “the Beast.”

The psychological aspects of the film trigger the viewers into feeling sympathetic yet

fearful of an illness they may not be versed on. Director and writer Shyamalan provides the

audience with slight education on dissociative identity disorder via Dr. Karen Fletcher (Betty

Buckley), Kevin’s psychiatrist. Dr. Fletcher is a consistent character throughout the film but

normally interacts with Kevin’s composed personality, the flamboyant Barry.

Another storyline, told in the form of flashbacks, in regards to Cooke’s backstory,

confuses the central storyline until the climax of the film.

 The movie revolves around Kevin’s disorder. For the most part, Shyamalan doesn’t stray

from the theme but also touches on a deeper aspect of Kevin’s disorder, which is cause and effect

of the trauma that causes Kevin’s disorder.

The original soundtrack, composed by West Dylan Thordson, goes unnoticed. An

untrained ear would not be compelled to acknowledge the soundtrack as a result of the

enthralling story line.

The film maintains feelings of excitement with its skillful but climactic camera

movements that continually thrill and shock the audience. The smooth transitions of the

cinematography safeguard the clarity of the movie. A perpetual darkness hangs over the movie

that heightens anxiety but also leaves viewers exhausted.

The portrayal of the two main characters, Crumb and Cooke, are copacetic throughout the

film. Kevin Wendell Crumb’s assortment of personalities resonate strongly enough to stand on

their own and share the stage with Cooke who takes on the role as the leader of the girls.

McAvoy displays a versatility that the audience cannot help but admire. He proves his

adaptability by taking on multiple personalities that inhabit one character. He ensures each

personality is independent and has their own identity but also ensures the audience understands

each personality makes up a single person. He changes costumes to portray each character, as

with Miss Patricia, but doesn’t stray from Kevin’s predominantly male features. His seamless

transitions make his character so successful.

Taylor-Joy’s performance complements McAvoy and also maintains a separate

exclusivity that cannot be touched by McAvoy. Her withdrawn yet strong portrayal of Casey

made for an effective representation of the predator versus prey relationship that is ongoing

between Kevin’s personalities and Casey.

 The originality of the story is portrayed successfully. The use of the various personalities

could be seen as genius or excessive. But the use of the multiple facetted personalities, such as

naïve little Hedwig, provide a comedic relief to the story that help the audience remain breathing

and sane throughout the movie.

Shyamalan pulls the film together by showing the strength that comes out of pain and

loss. The suspense and the message work well together and leave the audience talking. “Split” is

an unforgettable movie, that may exaggerate an illness, but the film achieves its purpose of

horrifying yet entertaining its audience.