“He’s done awful things to people like you and he’ll do awful things to you…the beast.”
In the movie “Split,” James McAvoy plays the part of one of the leading actors, Kevin Crumb, who suffers from identity disorder. Crumb has been dealing with identity disorder for years, revealing to his psychiatrist – Dr. Fletche – that he has 23 personalities. As the movie goes on you begin to see why Crumb has this disorder, and how it will make a big impact in his actions. One day Kevin Crumb abducts three girls – Casey Cooke, Claire Benoit, and Marcia – from a birthday party and takes them into their home. The three girls soon learn about Crumb’s disorder and try to figure out ways to keep themselves alive by using his personalities against him but end up in a very big mess they are not sure they can get themselves out of.
Split is a PG-13 movie categorized as thrilling and horror for its amazing content that keeps the audience glued to their seats. The director made the perfect movie that was not only interesting and captivating, but the lesson behind the movie was to learn about a disorder – Identity Disorder – that many people know about.
Identity disorder is very rare in today’s society, only effecting up to what is estimated to be one percent of the population. It is a disorder typically found in american children from childhood trauma that occurred from less then nine years of age. Typically, the average number of “alternate personalities” a person who has DID is about eight to 13 although there has been cases with a person having plenty more just within ones self.
“Split” was perfectly planned in regards to the rising resolution, climax, and falling resolution because he had a scene that fell into each and every one of those category. The director/writer – M. Night Shyamalan – chose an exemplary actor to play the part of Kevin and his 23 personalities. McAvoy understood the role he was given, he understood his character had a disorder and because of that he was able to succeed in his acting.
Shyamalan did a very good job by even adding a nine year old boy to the movie named Henry as one of Kevins’ personalities because Henry kept the audience laughing with his use of words and motion. For example when Casey kissed him to try and trick him into setting her free his response was, “you might be pregnant now.” Henry had the audiences dead from the loud guffawing, or laughing.
The movie was very good at making emotions and themes come to life, it had the audience laughing, screaming, being nervous, and even crying. As the movie went on we began to see Casey and the way she thought in regards to how she planned to escape because of a traumatizing moment that happened to her as a little girl and it leaves the audiences completely heart broken.
“Split” caught the audience off guard because of how good it was and how well taught out it was. It was not your typical average movie, it was a movie with a lesson and a goal for the audience and for that I think the the movie deserves five stars.
