I still recommend it on its merits strictly as a film, but you have to recognize that not everyone can (or should be expected to) compartmentalize in that way. It was creative, original and definitely kept me riveted from beginning to the shocking end. “It’s gone the opposite of what I used to do, [which was] keep everything super-secluded”, he says. The following films after “Unbreakable” seemed to become a tad gimmicky to my way of thinking. We’ve seen what he can do when he’s at his absolute best – his name immediately conjures memories of Unbreakable and The Sixth Sense; it’s a brand associated with some of the greatest supernatural thrillers of the last century. The ending is, yes kind of “cool” indeed, but again we who knew Shyamalan’s work way back then still yearn for more. While M. Night Shyamalan became famous (and later infamous) for his twist endings, people seemed really excited about what his latest film had to offer, and I was anxious that someone would spoil it for me before I got the chance to see the movie. Not long after that, the girls are visited by Patricia – Kevin in a dress and with a British accent – and then by Hedwig, Kevin’s 9-year-old precocious personality.
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Shyamalan has improved here demonstrably, both in scriptwriting (these kidnapped girls are smart, resourceful, and believable as hell), as well as on set, improving his camera placement and shot composition greatly. Some of Kevin’s other personalities have been “banned from the light” for being bad. A man named Dennis (James McAvoy) gets in with them, knocks them out with a spray and kidnaps the trio. We catch up with him at a period in his life when the least desirable and most unsafe of his personalities has taken control. “I can’t help myself”. McAvoy is completely convincing in his portrayal of multiple personalities jockeying for control within one man.
What this could mean – assuming Split has some financial success to go with its positive reviews – is that we could be treated to a third film, in which David goes up against Kevin, and by extension, “the beast”. I’m just like “call me, Night”.
Anya Taylor-Joy: “Each of the characters, they’re not interpretations, they’re not caricatures, they’re real people”. She is secluded and misread even before she is kidnapped with the girls and is flawless for this role.
Okay, so, the big twist of Spilt is.you know what? And if the girls refuse to play each personalities’ game, being split will be the least of their problems. “I need you to feel like if you don’t see Split, there’s no way you can guess what the feeling of seeing Split is”. In flashbacks, we learn more about this girl, and why she may be able to survive her confinement. Claire and Marcia want to fight back, but Casey refuses, calmly detailing his advantages. Even when Claire tells her to stop putting them all in danger, Marcia just does what Marcia does.
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“In that scene where he is going moment to moment from one character to the next to the next, is one of the hardest things I’ve ever seen an actor do”, Buckley says. She is the only person capable of understanding him, but even she isn’t prepared for her patient’s 24th personality. “I don’t care if it’s just a cameo”. I’ve never been particularly struck by his acting before, but in “Split”, he cycles between personalities at the drop of a hat, sometimes even from line-to-line as two different personalities converse with each other. The cinematography lent itself to the creepiness as well.
