The predator and the prey

Rating: 9/10 (3 February 2020)

"Split" is a 2016 thriller directed by M. Night Shyamalan starring James McAvoy and Anya Taylor-Joy. It has been quiet around the infamous Indian-American director Shyamalan, who landed some surprise hits at the end of the millennium, such as "The Sixth Sense" and "Unbreakable" and that granted him fame as a great Hollywood writer-director before creating one flop after another (there are countless, but remember "The Last Airbender" and "After Earth") in the following fifteen years or something. People believed he simply forgot to make decent films and that he would never really make it to the big screen again. That's why nobody really expected it that he would come back roaring with a banger like this feature. There's almost nothing about it that's worth criticising. James McAvoy hands down delivered a masterful performance that has never existed like this before. The way he portrays six different personalities, switching within minutes is just mental. It really gave me the feeling that I was spectating six different actors and had to remind myself multiple times that it's just this one Scottish genius. He definitely steals the show from everyone else involved, but Taylor-Joy gave a brilliant performance as well. The way she presented her shyness was somewhat sweet and how she showed both restraint and yet acted actively in every situation was superb and an proof of how versatile her acting range actually is. Both protagonists showed extreme raw emotions that fit well into the tense atmosphere. Furthermore, the story was intelligent and extremely interesting as it has created a character that has so much potential to become iconic. I was sitting there with unmeasurable fascination for this insane lunatic and followed every second in awe. I think it's also notable how the story combines an original and ingenious idea with a subliminal reminder that mental illness and trauma are problems in our society. Also, how the film combines metaphors (long hallways with cables and pipes) and visual symbolism (most shots are literally split in half and extremely dark!) was genuinely exciting. Additionally, the Predator-And-Prey allegory gave it an extremely sad undertone that gave both characters a whole new dimension to them and actually made me feel bad not only for Casey, but also for Kevin. Until the end I couldn't tell what is going to happen next and this made it so horrifyingly packing. It's also and advantage that the violence in this flick is not all too graphic and mostly takes place in the viewer's head. All in all, I'd say that MNS celebrated a magnificent comeback with this crazy thriller that should've granted McAvoy at least one Oscar nom. I'm actually stoked for the apparent prequel and the badly received sequel. To this point, I'd say that the director is back and that deservedly. Hopefully, he doesn't destroy what he has built up with this...