M. Night Shyamalan is a very controversial writer/ director. With hits such as The Sixth Sense, Signs, and Unbreakable and others such as The Happening and The Village that never really found an audience it is easy to write M. Night off. With Split, he has made a comeback to his early days of crafting an enveloping narrative and genuine suspense. Split focuses on Kevin, who suffers from dissociative identity disorder, and kidnaps 3 woman for reasons I will not spoil. It is said in the poster/ trailer that Kevin has 23 distinct personalities but only 7-8 of them are showcased here, a wise choice on Shyamalan’s part choosing only the most important personalities and not mucking up the film by trying to show all 23 in the movies 2 hour run-time. The few personalities we do see, including Kevin himself are all played so flawlessly and uniquely by James McAvoy, who really shines and carries the movie on his shoulders. Anya Taylor-Joy, fresh off of 2016’s The Witch, plays Casey Cooke, one of the three women kidnapped by Kevin and the main protagonist. Joy is proving that she can hold her own as an actress, having most of her scenes with McAvoys various personalities, proving to be a likable lead and as the movie progresses you really start to feel for her for more than being a victim of a kidnapping. Betty Buckley plays a great supporting role of Kevins Psychiatrist, diving more in depth into the distinct personalities and how Kevin controls them and decides who is in control. Haley Lu Richardson and Jessica Sula play Claire and Marcia, the other two women who were kidnapped with Casey, both goodin their roles, but they play the usual victim role, and the attention is focused on Casey as the character your’e supposed to root for. Split not only functions as a thriller, but it makes sure to go in depth about Dissociative Identity Disorder, giving the viewers a kind-of insight into how people in real life struggle with it and at the same time having viewers be sympathetic towards Kevin despite his actions. With most of the film being a build up to the third act, in my opinion the third act delivers on the entire movie and seemed like a nice twist that fit with the films tone and as opposed to some of M. Nights other film twists, this is one of his best. If your’e a fan or not, Split is a movie that deserves the buzz it’s receiving and really showcases the writing/ directing talents of M. Night Shyamalan, bringing him back to the forefront in a very positive light.

9 out of 10