Twisting and Turning into Greatness

Rating: 10/10 (4 February 2017)

"Split" gives us quite a gift, an audacious and original film that will leave you wondering what you have seen, and it even has a theme: "you can be whatever you wish..." The question is whether you'll agree with that assessment. James McAvoy knew he couldn't pass on the opportunity to play a part (well, 23 parts within the same character). We get to meet Dennis and the rest of the gang when the stronger, but not necessarily best of the bunch have been plotting a take over. In order to fully succeed, we discover they need three sacrificial lambs.
With a tight grip on the camera and his screenplay, we begin our journey into several types of hell: Dennis' own, the three imprisoned victims', the psychologist's slow realization that something is now more unstable than before, which could only mean trouble, and to add a bit of misdirection? a backstory for one of the trapped girls which might be more relevant than some people will be able to understand. "Split" is a film that you probably need to see a couple of times to fully comprehend. It's sort of like having a great meal, and then enjoying some of the best leftovers from that same meal, and the centerpiece is McAvoy, in a dazzling turn than leaves most of the recent entries in the dust, with the possible exception of Denzel, who like Oliver, Scott, Day Lewis are basically untouchable. McAvoy has joined their ranks, and he has done it with a performance that seems a greatest hits of any actor's career. In fact, he wears very little make up, and one of his most intriguing personas is a woman, but he is fully convincing in a creepy way, wearing a sweater, a long skirt, and not a hint of make up on his face. He retains his male voice, and yet, we believe we are facing a feminine entity. He is fully able to bring out every single element which is the trademark of each personality. The rhythm in the little boy's innocence, hesitation, and fear. His Barry is truly a joy to watch and Dennis is chilling. He manipulates voices, intonations, subtle nuances which fully transition from one to another. In addition to that, we have his incredible command of his physicality. His walking changes, and then we have his eyes and his mouth, doing some of the most impressive I have seen in hundreds of films. Day Lewis was glorious in "Lincoln" fully channeling the spirit of the President. I'm not sure where the 23 personalities came from. It's like he brought with him his family, friends, and most of the community he grew up with, and then there's the beast.
The movie's preview seemed to have given us too much. We thought we knew how the whole story would unravel, pointing to a stock ending. Instead, we are traveling through a structure that shows much growth in the direction of the man behind "The Sixth Sense", "Signs", and "The Happening". The film is always suspenseful, suffocating at times with the tension originating from the various set ups. We expect bloodshed, mayhem, and what we get is worse because the fear of something worse is hanging over the girls' fate, and we are now caught in their hell, not knowing where the next twist is.
The conclusion might seem problematic to some because it brings together every little bit in the background. It fully explains the triggers for both of the main characters, and if we have been paying attention, we'll understand why Casey's fate turns out to be so unexpected. Is there room for more to come? Just like De Palma, we have that twist at the end because after all there's strength in unity, and we never know what we are fully capable of doing if we set our minds to it.