Fantastic Fest
Fantastic Fest is the largest genre film festival in the U.S., specializing in horror, fantasy, sci-fi, action and just plain fantastic movies from all around the world. They feature world, national and regional premieres of new, up-and-coming genre films. It is held each year at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Austin, Texas. For more info, visit fantasticfest.com
An enduring tradition at Fantastic Fest, the annual genre film celebration down here in Austin Texas, of Secret Screenings showing a first glimpse of a film that might not be released for weeks or even months. This year, it was left to M. Night Shyamalan, with James McAvoy in tow, to turn up and surprise the crowds.
Split opens with the abduction of three girls from a parking lot. After being knocked out by chloroform, they awaken, sealed in a room with no way of escape. Soon, their captor’s unusual behavior disturbs the girls even further. It is revealed that that Kevin is suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder, a more severe form of multiple personality disorder where an identity, one of his 23 , can take over control. This results in not only an entirely different character but physical differences too. The purpose behind the abductions becomes clear. A twenty forth personality is threatening to emerge, one the others hold in either reverence or regard with fear, a personality known as “the Beast”, who will require sustenance when he emerges.
Appropriately, Split is fragmented into several storylines. The first is the abduction, incarceration and experiences of the girls with their captor. The second, how Kevin and his alts engage with their therapist Dr. Fletcher (Betty Buckley), the third is flashbacks to childhood of Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy), one of the abducted girls, showing us her childhood experiences that gives her a different approach to the situation the trio find themselves in.
While the therapist storyline feels a little appended to the main narrative and some of the dialogue is a little stilted, the other components weave together well to craft a solid, engaging thriller. It’s rooted in a PG-rating but Split is twisted, darkly funny, moving, and more than a little nutty. Shyamalan works in his usual impressive camera work and plenty of flourishes little visual touches, attention to the production so each “alt” of Kevin’s has some contribution to the decor or wardrobe.
On that note, the film looks great, unsurprising seeing as he brought in Jesse Rosenthal as art director (Carol), Mara LePere-Schloop, the art director of True Detective Season 1 as production designer, and also Mike Gioulaki, the cinematographer from It Follows. As Shyamalan himself said in the post-film Q&A, the smaller budget, freedom with Blumhouse and bringing on board some young, driven talent pushed him out of his comfort zone and it really shows on screen.
Taylor-Joy continues in fine form after her breakout performance in The Witch. She really is a captivating presence and it’s exciting to see her becoming a regular on our screens. But the film belongs to James McAvoy, playing Kevin, Barry, Dennis, Patricia, Hedwig, and a “horde” of other characters. They range from an effeminate clothes designer to a prim motherly type, to an OCD suffering control freak, to a 9 year old boy etc. There is a Norman Bates sensibility about his approach, it’s hammy at times but necessarily so. It’s a feast of a part for any actor and McAvoy brings his A game(s). The film may get some some flack for it’s portrayal of mental illness but there is a lot of sympathy crafted for the characters, both in terms of writing and performances. The central theme is one of trauma and hardship making us stronger so it’s largely positive rather than exploitative.
The final piece of the film is perhaps the one that has stirred up social media so much. A twist, as you’d perhaps expect, but one that serves as more of a coda or a connective strand. Go in cold, embrace it and you’ll find a thrill that puts the whole film in a slightly different light.
Split is a well constructed and engaging thriller and further evidence that Shyamalan has got his groove back. There will be plenty of buzz about the “twist” at the end, but all plaudits should be directed at James McAvoy who crafts a host of characters that hopefully we haven’t seen the last of.
Split is set for release on January 20th, 2017.