Split (2016)
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A man with multiple personalities kidnaps three teenage girls and imprisons them in an underground facility.
The story
Just outside Philadelphia, three teenage girls—friends Claire and Marcia, and their classmate Casey—are kidnapped by a man and imprisoned in an underground lair. It becomes clear that the man suffers from dissociative identity disorder (DID) and lives with 23 distinct identities, or 'alters.' The girls find themselves trapped in a tense situation where the man's various personalities, including a protective one and a more dangerous one, begin to manifest. The girls must navigate the complexities of his fractured psyche to find a way to escape the facility.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Three teenage girls are kidnapped and held in an underground lair by a man with dissociative identity disorder (DID). The man possesses 23 distinct identities, including 'Barry' (the coordinator), 'Patricia' (who protects the girls), and 'The Beast' (a powerful, violent persona). The girls attempt several escapes, which are met with punishment from the man. During a medical consultation, it is revealed that 'Dennis' has been impersonating 'Barry.' After 'Dennis' is apprehended, 'The Beast' takes control and kills the doctor. The girls are eventually separated. 'The Beast' kills Claire and Marcia but spares Casey after discovering she is a survivor of abuse. Casey manages to call out the man's true name, Kevin Wendell Crumb, causing his original personality to emerge. He begs her to kill him, but 'Patricia' takes control again. In the final moments, 'The Beast' is confronted by Casey, who is eventually found by a worker. The film ends with a cameo by Bruce Willis as David Dunn, revealing the existence of superpowered individuals in the world.
- First release year
- 2016
- Runtime (minutes)
- 117
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- M. Night Shyamalan
- Writers
- M. Night Shyamalan · writer
- Cast and characters
- James McAvoy · Kevin; Anya Taylor-Joy · Casey; Betty Buckley · Marcia; M. Night Shyamalan · Jai; Bruce Willis · David Dunn
- Genres
- psychological thriller; horror; science fiction
- Themes
- identity; trauma; mental illness
- Tone and mood
- tense; suspenseful; dark
- Setting
- An underground facility beneath the Philadelphia Zoo in the present day.
- Premise and plot tags
- kidnapping; multiple personalities; superhero origin
- Content notes
- sexual abuse
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews, with praise for McAvoy's performance and Shyamalan's direction, though it faced criticism from mental health advocates for its portrayal of mental illness.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 79% · scale: percentage · review count: 313; Metacritic · score: 63 · scale: 100 · review count: 48; CinemaScore · score: B+ · scale: A+ to F; comScore · score: 78% · scale: percentage
- Production trivia
- The film was a commercial success, grossing over 2,000% return on investment.; The character of Kevin was originally in a draft of Unbreakable.; The film is considered a 'stealth sequel' to Unbreakable.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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