Exploring the mind of a multiple personality character can be a tricky endeavor for an actor, as well as the director behind the camera telling the story.
But with M. Night Shyamalan’s latest Split, he and James McAvoy, the actor portraying the multi-personality afflicted central character of this horror/thriller, have weaved a web of psychological intrigue, mystery and terror. It also serves as an acting clinic for McAvoy, who puts his enormous talent on full display with his masterful take on a man with 23 distinct personalities, all while a 24th is terrifyingly beginning to form.
Shyamalan wrote and directed the film and his tale begins immediately by sending us down this rabbit hole of horror.
A group of teenage girls are having a birthday party. Claire’s (Haley Lu Richardson) birthday party is slowly winding down. She, her father and her BFF Marcia (Jessica Sula) are waiting for a girl they invited reluctantly, Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy), to be picked up from the restaurant. When it becomes clear her ride is not coming, they all pile into the car of Claire’s father and ready to go home. Immediately, something is not right. Casey, sitting in the front seat, looks in the rear view mirror notices the leftovers from the birthday meal on the ground. As she turns to her right to look at who has just entered the car and taken the driver’s seat, her face turns to terror. It’s McAvoy’s “Dennis.” He sprays the three girls with something that knocks them out and finds them waking in a basement of some sort, locked in a room with two beds, a sparse bathroom and little else.
Confusion sets in when they realize that the man who kidnapped him is not working alone. They hear him talking to what sounds like a woman and another man. When the door swings open, their confusion turns to shock… it’s McAvoy’s character dressed as a woman (Patricia), complete with a gorgeous set of pearls around her neck. All along, he was talking to himself… as many different personalities. When one of those personalities arrives one day — the girls, particularly Casey) — see it as a glimmer of hope. It’s Hedwig, a self-described little boy who seems to fear the other personalities and like so many children his age, simply just wants to have fun. Casey sees this personality as an opportunity to put a wedge between the girls and her captor(s). After all, Hedwig just seems to want to play and be liked.
What proceeds to happen over the next two acts is a study in how to write and execute a slow burn suspense-horror-thriller. It also is a lesson in performance art for McAvoy. Between Shyamalan and McAvoy, the two are operating at the top of their game and the winner here is the audience who will great the ending with jaw-drops and out-loud gasps if our screening is any indication.
First off, Shyamalan has always had the gift of weaving a web of intrigue that captivates the viewer and sends them on a journey whose end is always a question. Sure, the filmmaker has gone off the rails a few times since his early days. But that element of a gifted moviemaker has never left and we always knew it was still in side him. When his found footage The Visit arrived last year, it was a welcomed declaration that an artist has returned to form and that perhaps the best was yet to come. With the arrival of Split, Shyamalan has grabbed a bull horn and let the world know that he has a firm grasp of his gifts once again and where he goes from here is going to be one heck of a treat to witness.
McAvoy, meanwhile, has achieved something that is uniquely masterful. Portraying multiple characters stuck in the same mind is an actor’s dream, but it also quickly can turn into a nightmare with loads of traps inhabited with cliché and scene chewing overkill. Instead, the X-Men star manages to navigate these mine fields with effortless switching of characters on a literal dime. There are numerous scenes where his various personalities are arguing amongst themselves that is a highlight reel for acting done impeccably right.
Split also features a stunning performance from a veteran we are too thrilled scored the opportunity to show off that she still has it, Betty Buckley. Her Dr. Karen Fletcher is the therapist for our multi-personality vessel inhabited by McAvoy. She firmly believes that each personality is physiologically different and that one could believe they are a weight lifter and able to have the strength of one. Meanwhile, another personality could be that of a little girl, who could barely hurt a mouse. It’s a stunning and well researched turn by the veteran actress and also allows Shyamalan to show off his own deep well of research on the subject, which only enhances and deepens the power of his plot through his screenplay.
Shyamalan’s latest is also a film we would love to see again and again — another sign of a great thriller. There are layers in Split that would come through even deeper with a second or third viewing. It would, in turn, only enhance the power of the prose written by a man who has firmly proclaimed to the world that his return is one to be heralded… but also, as a viewer, one to be afraid of… very afraid. And that is a very good thing, indeed.
Grade: A-