A psychological thriller that revolves around a kidnapping and a psychologically twisted kidnapper.
Director/Writer – M.Night Shyamalan
Cast – James McAvoy, Anya Taylor Joy, Betty Buckley
Plot
Three teenage girls are kidnapped brazenly. The man who’s kidnapped them is a chilling case of Dissociative Identity Disorder and under treatment.
His psychiatrist has confidence that she would be able cope and help him with his condition but completely un-aware of the dangers posed by some of his alter identities.
Analysis
The film, as a thriller, offers a lot of psychologically warped stuff, some heart thudding moments and performances worth appreciating.
It is quite engaging and you remain invested even though there is nothing to surprise you till quite late into the film when an unexpected twist comes by.
Except for that one twist, I failed to find any unexpected moments or shock factor. Maybe because the one line description about the film that has been flashed everywhere is a major clue about what to expect.
But what comes to the rescue are the performances by James McAvoy and Anya Taylor Joy whom I have watched for the second time after The Vvitch. I must say that the girl is really impressive and expressive.
Got to know that this film is the second instalment in the Unbreakable trilogy. In fact I am yet to watch the third one “Glass”.
As compared to Unbreakable, I found Split much more psychological in the literal sense and had some edge of the seat moments but its central theme had none of the novelty value of Unbreakable.
It is a good one time watch for psychological thriller lovers. You would enjoy it but its not a concept that you haven’t seen before.