'Split' Might Be M. Night Shyamalan's Most Intriguing Thriller

Rating: 8/10 (23 February 2017)

OVERVIEW: Outsider Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy) attends a birthday party for her frenemy Claire (Haley Lu Richardson), a pity invitation obviously. After accepting a ride home with Claire's father, as well as her best friend Marcia (Jessica Sula), Casey and the two girls are attacked and kidnapped. They wake up locked in a basement by a man named Dennis (James McAvoy). However they soon find out that this man exhibits two other personalities, a woman named Patricia and a young boy named Hedwig.
While Claire and Marcia are terrified and ready to fight, Casey seems more reserved. She wants to dissect exactly what's going on and perhaps speak with Hedwig, who seems fond of her, to gain more insight. It is soon discovered that the mans real name is Kevin and he has 23 unique personalities. Patricia and Dennis are the strongest and waiting on the arrival of the 24th personality, "the beast". Time is running out for the girls to find their escape and their only hope is figuring out which personality could help them before it's too late.
THOUGHTS: The film itself examines the concept of dissociative identity disorder. While the science explained isn't something we're all familiar with, it definitely intrigues you as a viewer to learn more about this complex disorder. James McAvoy takes on a tremendous amount of work having to develop so many unique personalities, in some instances having to switch between them within the same scene. It's an impressive feat to take on and even more disturbing and sad that people live with this.
Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch), who portrays Casey in this film, deserves tremendous praise for her performance. Not only does she deal with the stresses placed on her character during her imprisonment, but also the complexity of a character that has a deeply troubling past.
Despite the dark tone of the film, there are moments of levity and some humor that feels well-balanced. At some times things may come off a little silly when it means to be serious, but not in a way that negates the prouder moments of the movie.
Pacing in this film starts to fade off at a certain point. When we reach the third act you sort of find yourself questioning exactly where this film is going. There doesn't seem to be an exact path you can find narrative-wise to get an idea of the films purpose. Are we experiencing reality, something supernatural? What exactly is it suppose to leave you with?
It's an enjoyable film, but you're left with these questions, until the final scene. A scene that left many in the audience confused, excited and hoping for another.