split movie review psychology

Within the process of watching an M. Night Shyamalan film, there exists a parallel and simultaneous process of searching for its inevitable twist. This has been true of every film the writer-director has made since his surprise smash debut, “ The Sixth Sense ,” nearly two decades ago. We wonder: How will he dazzle us? What clues should we be searching for? Will it actually work this time?

Increasingly, with middling efforts like “ The Village ” and “ Lady in the Water ”—and dreary aberrations like “ The Last Airbender ” and “ After Earth ,” which bore none of his signature style—the answer to that last question has been: Not really. Which makes his latest, “Split,” such an exciting return to form. A rare, straight-up horror film from Shyamalan, “Split” is a thrilling reminder of what a technical master he can be. All his virtuoso camerawork is on display: his lifelong, loving homage to Alfred Hitchcock , which includes, as always, inserting himself in a cameo. And the twist—that there is no Big Twist—is one of the most refreshing parts of all.

“Split” is more lean and taut in its narrative and pace than we’ve seen from Shyamalan lately. Despite its nearly two-hour running time, it feels like it’s in constant forward motion, even when it flashes backward to provide perspective.

It’s as if there’s a spring in his step, even as he wallows in grunge. And a lot of that has to do with the tour-de-force performance from James McAvoy as a kidnapper named Kevin juggling two-dozen distinct personalities.

From obsessive-compulsive maintenance man Dennis to playful, 9-year-old Hedwig to prim, British Patricia to flamboyant, New York fashionista Barry, McAvoy brings all these characters to life in undeniably hammy yet entertaining ways. There’s a lot of scenery chewing going on here, but it’s a performance that also showcases McAvoy’s great agility and precision. He has to make changes both big and small, sometimes in the same breath, and it’s a hugely engaging spectacle to behold.

His portrayal of this troubled soul is darkly funny but also unexpectedly sad. Kevin is menacing no matter which personality in control, but the underlying childhood trauma that caused him to create these alter egos as a means of defense clearly still haunts him as a grown man. Flashes of vulnerability and fragility reveal themselves in the film’s third act, providing an entirely different kind of disturbing tone.

First, though, there is the abduction, which Shyamalan stages in efficient, gripping fashion. Three high school girls get in a car after a birthday party at the mall: pretty, chatty Claire ( Haley Lu Richardson of “ The Edge of Seventeen ”) and Marcia ( Jessica Sula ) and shy, quiet Casey ( Anya Taylor-Joy ), who was invited along out of pity. But they quickly realize the man behind the wheel isn’t Claire’s dad—it’s Kevin, who wastes no time in knocking them out and dragging them back to his makeshift, underground lair.

Repeated visits from Kevin, with his varying voices and personae, gradually make it clear that their kidnapper harbors multiple personalities. Only Casey, who emerges as the trio’s clever leader, has the audacity to engage with him. As she showed in her breakout role in “ The Witch ” as well as in “ Morgan ,” Taylor-Joy can be chilling in absolute stillness with her wide, almond eyes—as much as McAvoy is in his showiness. She makes Casey more than your typical horror heroine to root for, particularly with the help of quietly suspenseful flashbacks that indicate how she acquired her survival instincts. Her co-stars aren’t afforded nearly as much characterization or clothing, for that matter.

But we also get a greater understanding of Kevin’s mental state through the daily sessions he (or, rather, a version of him) schedules with his psychologist, Dr. Fletcher (an elegant and soulful Betty Buckley ). A leading researcher in the field, she believes having dissociative identity disorder is actually a reflection of the brain’s vast potential rather than a disability. Their conversations, while exquisitely tense, also provide a welcome source of kindness amid the brutality.

And they help us put together the pieces of this puzzle—which is actually a few different puzzles at once. There’s the question of what Kevin wants with these girls. There’s the question of how they’ll escape. But the fundamentally frightening element of this whole scenario is how the various personalities interact with each other—how they manipulate and intimidate each other—and whether there’s an even more fearsome force gaining strength.

West Dylan Thordson ’s score and an expertly creepy sound design help make “Split” an unsettling experience from the very start. But the movie staggers a bit toward the end with some contrivances and coincidences, and it goes in directions that feel a bit exploitative—as if it’s wringing childhood abuse for cheap thrills. I’m still wrestling with how I feel about it, but I know I walked out with a slightly icky sense, even as I found the film engrossing both technically and dramatically.

Still, it’s exciting to see Shyamalan on such confident footing once more, all these years later. Make sure you stay in your seat until the absolute end to see what other tricks he may have up his sleeve.

Christy Lemire

Christy Lemire is a longtime film critic who has written for RogerEbert.com since 2013. Before that, she was the film critic for The Associated Press for nearly 15 years and co-hosted the public television series “Ebert Presents At the Movies” opposite Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, with Roger Ebert serving as managing editor. Read her answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here .

• Haley Lu Richardson as Claire
• Brad William Henke as Uncle John
• Anya Taylor-Joy as Casey
• Jessica Sula as Marcia
• Betty Buckley as Dr. Fletcher
• James McAvoy as Kevin
• Kim Director as Hannah
• Luke Franco Ciarrocchi
• M. Night Shyamalan

Cinematographer

• Mike Gioulakis
• West Dylan Thordson

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Film Review: ‘Split’

A welcome return to form from 'The Sixth Sense' director M. Night Shyamalan, whose unhinged new mind-bender is a worthy extension of his early work.

By Peter Debruge

Peter Debruge

Chief Film Critic

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Multiple personality disorder, like amnesia, is one of those aberrant mental states that has been a curse to those who suffer, but a gift to screenwriters over the years. From Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” to Brian De Palma’s “Dressed to Kill,” filmmakers have long exploited how little we truly understand about the condition — though none has pushed it quite as far as  M. Night Shyamalan  does in “ Split ,” treating dissociative identity disorder not as the twist, but as the premise on which this wickedly compelling abduction thriller is founded: James McAvoy  plays a lunatic kidnapper with at least 23 personalities to his name.

Rest assured, there are plenty of proper twists to follow, none more unexpected than the fact that Shyamalan himself has managed to get his groove back after a slew of increasingly atrocious misfires. To be fair, it’s hard to imagine any writer/director sustaining a career based almost entirely on surprising audiences. And though he lost us for a while there — water-intolerant aliens, anyone? — by trading on ingenuity rather than big-budget special effects, Shyamalan has created a tense, frequently outrageous companion piece to one of his earliest and best movies.

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But Shyamalan isn’t the only one getting a makeover here. Presumably tired of playing handsome, uncomplicated leading men, McAvoy — a talented Scottish actor best known as the young Professor X in the “X-Men” prequels — has recently expanded his repertoire to include unsavory creeps in films such as “Trance” and “Filth.” Those roles may as well have been practice laps for the Olympic main event that is “Split,” in which his performance is splintered between a gay fashion designer, a renegade nine-year-old, an obsessive-compulsive control freak, and a crazy church lady, among others.

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Shyamalan introduces these wildly different personae one at a time, revealing them through the eyes of the movie’s three main characters, a trio of teenage girls taken prisoner from a high school birthday party, who wake up — like the victims in a nightmarish new subgenre of sadism that includes films like “Saw” and “10 Cloverfield Lane” — in a bunker-like cell with only the dimmest clue of the fate that awaits them. Popular above ground, Claire (Haley Lu Richardson) and Marcia (Jessica Sula) are the first to panic, reacting as most audiences probably would in their shoes, while brooding outsider Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy) seems unusually calm … at first, at least.

Trapped underground in an undetermined location (the actual spot is the film’s next-to-last twist), the girls spend several days trying to devise ways to escape. Each attempt will have moviegoers digging their fingernails deeper into their armrests, as McAvoy’s totally unpredictable character manages to gain the upper hand, while the girls try to make sense of the information before them. Meanwhile, to make things a bit easier on the audience, their captor slips out at regular intervals to visit his shrink, Dr. Fletcher (Betty Buckley, the classic “Carrie” actress who also appeared in Shyamalan’s “The Happening”), a sympathetic ear who dispenses exposition by the wheelbarrow.

The more we learn, the scarier McAvoy’s character(s) starts to sound. At the same time, among the would-be victims, only Casey feels fleshed out, as Shyamalan gradually reveals the young lady’s troubled backstory via flashbacks to childhood hunting trips. Taylor-Joy, who recently starred in Robert Eggers’ “The Witch,” has a knack for suggesting dark undercurrents to superficially lovely characters, to the extent that we start to wonder whether McAvoy has meet his match.

Shyamalan’s goal is to keep us guessing, and in that respect, “Split” is a resounding success — even if in others, it could have you rolling your eyes. Still, scaling down to a relatively modest budget and just a handful of locations has forced him to get creative with the script, while a handful of new hires — most notably “It Follows” DP Mike Gioulakis, whose crisp, steady-handed gaze plays against the gritty confusion of the genre — elevate the result in such a way that we’re more inclined to consider the characters’ psychology, even though Shyamalan appears to be making it up to suit his purposes.

Ultimately, “Split” belongs to McAvoy, who has ample scenery to chew, but doesn’t stop there — he practically swallows the camera with his tiger-like teeth. With his head shaved, the actor depends ever so slightly on costume changes (sly contributions from Paco Delgado, who worked on “The Danish Girl”), but otherwise conveys his transformations through body language, facial expression, and accent, as his various selves take “the light” — since, per Fletcher, only one can come out to play at a time. As in “Psycho,” there’s a tendency to over-explain, and while Shyamalan is basically making up rules for dissociative identity disorder as he goes along, the condition has afforded McAvoy the role of his career.

Reviewed at AFI Fest, Nov. 15, 2016. (Also in Fantastic Fest.) MPAA Rating: PG-13. Running time: 117 MIN.

• Production: A Universal Pictures release and presentation of a Blinding Edge Pictures, BlumHouse Prods. production. Producers: M. Night Shyamalan, Jason Blum, Marc Bienstock. Executive producers: Ashwin Rajan, Steven Schneider, Kevin Frakes, Buddy Patrick.
• Crew: Director, writer: M. Night Shyamalan. Camera (color, widescreen): Mike Gioulakis. Editor: Luke Franco Ciarrocchi.
• With: James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy, Betty Buckley, Jessica Sula, Haley Lu Richardson

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Split Movie Psychology Analysis

“Split” is a psychological thriller movie that came out in 2016. It tells the story of Kevin Wendell Crumb, a man with 23 different personalities living inside his mind. The movie follows Kevin as he kidnaps three teenage girls, and we watch as his various personalities take turns controlling his actions.

But “Split” isn’t just a thrilling story – it’s also a window into the complex world of mental health and psychology. By watching Kevin’s struggle with his multiple personalities, we can learn a lot about how the human mind works, especially when it’s under extreme stress or dealing with trauma.

In this post, we’ll dive deep into the psychology behind “Split.” We’ll explore the real-life condition that inspired the movie, look at how trauma affects the mind, and examine the different personalities we see in the film. Along the way, we’ll separate fact from fiction and gain a better understanding of the human mind’s incredible complexity.

What You'll Learn

Understanding Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)

What is did.

Dissociative Identity Disorder, or DID for short, is the real-life condition that inspired Kevin’s character in “Split.” In the past, people used to call it “multiple personality disorder.” DID is a complex mental health condition where a person has two or more distinct personalities or identities. These different identities can have their own names, voices, behaviors, and even memories.

How DID Develops

DID usually develops as a way for the mind to cope with severe trauma, especially trauma that happens in childhood. When a child experiences something too painful or scary to handle, their mind might split off different parts of their personality as a way to protect itself. It’s like the mind is saying, “This is too much for one person to bear, so I’ll create other ‘people’ to help carry the burden.”

DID in Real Life vs. “Split”

It’s important to note that while “Split” is based on DID, it’s not an accurate representation of how the condition really works. In real life, people with DID don’t usually have such dramatically different personalities, and they certainly don’t develop superhuman abilities like Kevin does in the movie. The film takes a lot of creative liberties for the sake of telling an exciting story.

Real-life DID is much more subtle. A person might shift between different “alters” (that’s what psychologists call the different personalities) without anyone noticing. Each alter might have its own way of talking, dressing, or behaving, but these changes are usually not as extreme as what we see in “Split.”

The Psychology of Kevin’s Personalities

The host: kevin wendell crumb.

In the movie, we learn that Kevin is the “original” personality, also known as the host. Kevin developed DID as a way to cope with the abuse he suffered as a child. His mind created other personalities to protect him from the pain and fear he was experiencing.

In real life, the host personality is often unaware of the other alters. They might experience gaps in their memory or find themselves in situations they don’t remember getting into. This is similar to how Kevin in the movie doesn’t always know what his other personalities have been doing.

The Protector: Dennis

Dennis is one of Kevin’s strongest personalities. He’s stern, orderly, and obsessed with cleanliness. In the context of DID, Dennis would be considered a protector alter. Protector alters often develop to keep the person safe from perceived threats.

Dennis’s obsession with cleanliness and order might be a way of trying to control his environment and keep it “safe.” His strength and assertiveness could be the mind’s way of creating a personality that can stand up to threats and protect the more vulnerable parts of Kevin’s psyche.

The Maternal Figure: Patricia

Patricia is another prominent personality in the movie. She’s portrayed as a proper, maternal figure who tries to keep the other alters in line. In real-life DID, it’s common to have alters of different genders, ages, and personalities.

Patricia might represent Kevin’s need for a caring, maternal presence in his life – something he likely didn’t have as a child due to his abusive mother. By creating Patricia, Kevin’s mind gave him a source of comfort and guidance, even if it’s coming from within himself.

The Child: Hedwig

Hedwig is a 9-year-old boy personality. Child alters are common in DID and often represent the age at which the person experienced significant trauma. Hedwig’s presence suggests that Kevin might have endured severe abuse around the age of 9.

Hedwig’s childlike innocence and playfulness might be Kevin’s mind’s way of preserving some of the joy and wonder of childhood that was stolen from him. At the same time, Hedwig’s naivety and tendency to be easily manipulated by the other alters could reflect Kevin’s vulnerability as a child.

The Beast: The Embodiment of Trauma

The Beast is the 24th personality that emerges in the movie. Unlike the others, the Beast has superhuman abilities and a mission to “cleanse” the world of the “impure” – those who haven’t suffered. While this is purely fictional, the concept of a powerful, vengeful alter emerging from trauma is psychologically interesting.

The Beast could be seen as a manifestation of all the anger, pain, and desire for revenge that Kevin has bottled up over the years. It represents the part of him that wants to lash out at the world that hurt him so badly.

Trauma and Its Impact on the Mind

The role of childhood trauma.

In “Split,” we learn that Kevin’s DID developed as a result of severe abuse from his mother. This aligns with what we know about real-life DID, which is often linked to childhood trauma. Trauma during childhood can have a profound impact on brain development and mental health.

When a child experiences ongoing abuse or neglect, their developing brain adapts to survive in that hostile environment. This can lead to changes in how the brain processes emotions, handles stress, and even how it organizes memories and sense of self.

Coping Mechanisms and Dissociation

Dissociation, which is at the core of DID, is actually a common response to trauma. When faced with overwhelming fear or pain, the mind might “disconnect” from the experience as a way of protecting itself. It’s like the brain is saying, “This isn’t happening to me, I’m not really here.”

In most cases, this dissociation is temporary. But in severe cases, like with DID, the dissociation becomes a long-term coping strategy. The mind creates separate identities to handle different aspects of life or to contain traumatic memories.

The Concept of “Splitting”

The title “Split” refers not just to the multiple personalities, but also to a psychological concept called “splitting.” This is when a person views things in extreme, black-and-white terms. People or situations are seen as all good or all bad, with no middle ground.

In the movie, we see this in how the Beast views people as either “pure” (those who have suffered) or “impure” (those who haven’t). This kind of thinking can be a result of trauma, where the world comes to be seen as either completely safe or completely dangerous.

The Portrayal of Mental Health in Media

The good: raising awareness.

Movies like “Split” can help bring attention to mental health issues that many people might not know about. Before “Split,” many people had never heard of DID. While the movie’s portrayal isn’t entirely accurate, it at least got people talking about the condition.

The Bad: Stigmatization and Misconceptions

Unfortunately, “Split” also reinforces some harmful stereotypes about mental illness. It portrays someone with DID as dangerous and unpredictable, which isn’t true for the vast majority of people with the condition. This kind of portrayal can increase stigma and make it harder for people with mental health issues to seek help.

The Importance of Responsible Representation

It’s crucial for filmmakers and media creators to balance entertainment with responsible representation. While movies don’t need to be 100% scientifically accurate, they should strive not to spread harmful misinformation or stereotypes about mental health conditions.

The Psychology of the Captives

Stockholm syndrome: fact or fiction.

In “Split,” we see Casey, one of the kidnapped girls, develop a kind of understanding with some of Kevin’s alters, particularly Hedwig. Some might see this as a form of Stockholm Syndrome, where captives develop positive feelings towards their captors.

However, the concept of Stockholm Syndrome is controversial in psychology. What we see in the movie is more likely a survival strategy. Casey uses her understanding of Kevin’s condition to try to manipulate the situation and escape.

Trauma Bonds and Shared Experiences

We learn that Casey has her own history of abuse, which allows her to relate to Kevin’s trauma in a way the other girls can’t. This shared experience of trauma creates a kind of bond between them, even though they’re in a captor-captive situation.

This portrayal touches on the real psychological phenomenon of trauma bonds. People who have experienced similar traumas can sometimes feel a deep connection, even if their current relationship is unhealthy or dangerous.

The Symbolism in “Split”

The zoo: a metaphor for confinement.

Much of the movie takes place in underground rooms at a zoo. This setting serves as a powerful metaphor. Just as the animals in the zoo are confined, Kevin is confined by his mental illness, and the girls are confined by their captivity.

The zoo also represents the idea of different “species” coexisting, much like Kevin’s different personalities coexist within his mind.

Light and Dark: The Duality of Human Nature

The movie makes heavy use of light and dark imagery. The underground rooms are often dimly lit, representing the dark aspects of Kevin’s psyche and the girls’ dire situation. Moments of hope or clarity are often accompanied by brighter lighting.

This play of light and dark symbolizes the duality of human nature – the capacity for both good and evil that exists within all of us, but is particularly pronounced in Kevin’s fractured psyche.

The Glass: Fragility and Reflection

Glass is a recurring motif in the movie. It represents both fragility (Kevin’s fragile mental state) and reflection (the way Kevin’s different personalities reflect different aspects of his psyche).

The glass also serves as a barrier – between Kevin and the outside world, between his different personalities, and between the captives and freedom.

The Psychology of the Audience

Why we’re fascinated by multiple personalities.

Stories about multiple personalities have long captivated audiences. There’s something inherently fascinating about the idea of one body housing many minds. It taps into our curiosity about the complexity of human consciousness and our fear of losing control of our own minds.

The Appeal of Psychological Thrillers

Psychological thrillers like “Split” are popular because they engage our minds as well as our emotions. They make us think, analyze, and try to solve puzzles along with the characters. This mental engagement can be deeply satisfying for many viewers.

Empathy and Understanding

Despite its flaws, “Split” can foster empathy and understanding for people struggling with mental health issues. By spending time with Kevin and seeing the world through his eyes (or the eyes of his alters), viewers might develop a more nuanced understanding of how trauma can impact a person’s mind.

Lessons from “Split”: Understanding Our Own Minds

Recognizing our own “alters”.

While most of us don’t have distinct alternate personalities, we all have different aspects to our personalities. We might act one way with our friends, another with our family, and yet another at work. Recognizing these different “sides” of ourselves can help us understand our own complexity.

The Power of the Mind

“Split” showcases the incredible power of the human mind – both its ability to create elaborate defense mechanisms and its potential for healing. While the movie exaggerates these abilities for dramatic effect, it reminds us of the mind’s remarkable capacity for adaptation and resilience.

The Importance of Mental Health Awareness

Perhaps the most important takeaway from “Split” is the need for greater mental health awareness and support. The movie, despite its flaws, opens up conversations about trauma, dissociation, and the long-term effects of abuse. These are crucial discussions that our society needs to have more openly.

Conclusion: Beyond the Split

“Split” is more than just a thrilling movie – it’s a complex exploration of the human mind, trauma, and identity. While it takes many creative liberties with its portrayal of DID, it offers viewers a chance to think deeply about psychology, mental health, and the impact of childhood experiences on adult life.

As we’ve explored in this analysis, the movie touches on many fascinating psychological concepts – from the development of alternate personalities as a coping mechanism, to the long-term effects of trauma, to the symbolism of confinement and duality.

However, it’s crucial to remember that “Split” is ultimately a work of fiction. Real-life mental health conditions are far more nuanced and less sensationalized than what we see on screen. The movie should serve as a starting point for discussions and further learning about psychology and mental health, not as a definitive representation of DID or any other condition.

By engaging critically with media like “Split,” we can entertain ourselves while also deepening our understanding of the human mind. We can use these stories as springboards for empathy, awareness, and a greater appreciation of the complexity of human psychology.

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SPLIT: A REVIEW AND ITS UNEXPECTED MERIT

FAQs About “Split” and Psychology

• Q: Is Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) real? A: Yes, DID is a recognized mental health condition. However, it’s much rarer and less dramatic than portrayed in “Split.”
• Q: Can people with DID really have superhuman abilities like in the movie? A: No, the superhuman abilities shown in “Split” are purely fictional. People with DID do not develop special powers.
• Q: Is it possible to have as many personalities as Kevin does in the movie? A: While it’s theoretically possible, having 23 distinct personalities is extremely rare. Most people diagnosed with DID have fewer alters.
• Q: Does everyone who experiences trauma develop DID? A: No, DID is a rare response to severe, ongoing trauma. Many people who experience trauma develop other conditions like PTSD, or may not develop a mental health condition at all.
• Q: Can DID be treated? A: Yes, DID can be treated with long-term psychotherapy. The goal is usually to integrate the different alters or to help the person function better, rather than to “cure” the condition.
• Q: Are people with DID dangerous? A: Generally, no. The portrayal of Kevin as dangerous in “Split” is not representative of most people with DID. They are no more likely to be violent than the general population.
• Q: Is it possible to fake DID? A: While it’s possible for someone to pretend to have multiple personalities, true DID is not something that can be consciously faked. It’s a complex condition with specific diagnostic criteria.
• Q: Does everyone with DID know they have it? A: Not always. Many people with DID experience memory gaps or confusion about their identity, but may not realize they have distinct alternate personalities until they’re diagnosed.
• Q: Can trauma really change a person’s brain? A: Yes, severe or chronic trauma, especially in childhood, can lead to changes in brain structure and function. This is an area of ongoing research in neuroscience and psychology.
• Q: Is the concept of “splitting” in psychology related to DID? A: While they share a similar name, “splitting” in psychology (seeing things in black and white terms) is different from the “split” personalities in DID. However, both can be related to trauma responses.

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The Psychology Times

Independent voice for psychology in louisiana, mind over matter: a review of split.

The theme of several personalities fighting for control of the body they share has a long history in imaginative fiction as well as in psychological theory. In October 1919, The Journal of  Abnormal Psychology carried reports by Morton Prince and Charles Corey of cases of multiple personality. It is worth noting that Robert Louis Stevenson had published The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde some twenty-five years earlier, a work of fiction that has taken the form of novels, plays and movies in the ensuing years. M. Night Shyamalan, writer/director of the current movie Split, centers his film on this intriguing theme.

Both cases in the scientific journal are those of women and  are presented in the context of Freud’s early writings; Stevenson’s story is that of a man whose contesting selves emerge as a result of drug use. The quasi-clinical account of The Three Faces of Eve in 1957 was followed by a spate of similar accounts of women with multiple personalities, with steadily increasing numbers of contesting selves. The literary multiplication was matched by increasing attention in the therapeutic community, eventuating in official recognition by the American Psychiatric Association of Dissociative Identity Disorder. Clinical accounts continue to be almost exclusively of women, and are most often seen as the result of earlier child abuse.

Shyamalan’s movie reflects some of these trends and bucks others. Kevin Crumb is a young man with twenty-three personalities, the result of abuse by his mother. He is in treatment with Dr. Karen Fletcher, and the therapist believes that Kevin’s individual minds produce dramatic physical changes in the body that they share. She takes this to be a new frontier in the understanding of body/mind relationships justifying ground breaking, controversial presentations to the scientific community.

In the course of her treatment Kevin appears to become more stable, but Dr. Fletcher learns that Barry, the personality that determines which of the twenty-three controls the body at any one time, is losing control. He is under attack by another self, Dennis, who is violent and likes to watch naked girls dance.

Dennis seizes control—it is called being in the light—and kidnaps three teen-aged girls. Held hostage, the terrified girls meet other personalities and learn about a twenty-fourth personality, The Beast, who will kill them. The movie portrays the girl’s struggles with the various selves and their panicked attempts to escape.

The doctor uncovers Dennis’s displacement of Barry and the kidnapping, but becomes herself his victim. The Beast emerges, superhuman in strength and totally vicious. His mission is to rid the world of those who are impure because they lack the experience of being abused. The Beast kills the doctor and two of the girls, devouring parts of them, but he spares the third girl, Casey, when he learns that she was the victim of sexual abuse by her guardian uncle.

The police arrive on the scene, but The Beast and his hoard escape and Casey is rescued. The tale seems to wind down as Casey is told she is free to return to her uncle, news she receives with a long cryptic stare. There is an addendum. It takes the form of a diner scene. Customers are listening to the news about the kidnapping and killings. One of them remarks that it reminds them of a case years ago of a madman murderer in a wheelchair. As the group leaves another person at the counter reminds them that the maniac’s name was Glass. That person is Bruce Willis, reprising his role as David Dunn in The Unbreakable, in which he bested the mad killer.

Can we look forward to The Horde vs. The Unbreakable?

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Applied Psychology OPUS

OPUS Spring 2016

• Split: A Review and Its Unexpected Merit

OPUS Spring 2017

Letter from the Editor Staff Articles

• Managing Mental Health in the Primary Care Sector
• An Interview with Dr. Joshua Aronson
• An Interview with Dr. Elise Cappella
• Childhood Emotional Abuse and Borderline Personality Disorder

Submissions

• The Influence of Leadership Style on Individuals’ Satisfaction on Small Teams
• The Impact of Postpartum Depression on the Mother-Child Relationship
• Don’t Worry, But Don’t Just Be Happy
• Teachers’ Use of Positive and Negative Feedback: Implications for Student Behavior
• Julie Acker
• Paige Alenick
• Jocelin McGovern
• Rebekah Myers
• Ashlie Pankonin
• Bethanie Railling
• Jennifer Schild and Joshua Adler
• Angela Page Spears

Staff and Writer Biographies

• Contributor Bios

Sophie Meifang Wang

Producer and director M. Night Shyamalan and producers Marc Bienstock and Jason Blum’s (2016) latest film, Split, is a horror thriller where the main character Kevin, played by James McAvoy, suffers from dissociative identity disorder (DID) and kidnaps three teenage girls. Kevin keeps the girls in an abandoned basement where his numerous identities are revealed to them.Towards the end of the movie, the final identity Kevin takes on is a vicious beast that climbs walls, deflects bullets, and ultimately kills two of the abducted girls with his bare hands. Only one girl is spared by the beast because of the scars he finds all over her body. The scars elucidate that both of them were abused as children, which exempts her from the beast’s quest for an erasure of those who, according to him, live with a delusional sense of safety (Shyamalan, Blum, Bienstock, & Shyamalan, 2016).

Dissociative identity disorder (DID) was previously regarded as multiple personality disorder or split identity disorder (hence the title of the film). As stated by the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (10th ed.; ICD-10; World Health Organization, 1992), to classify DID, the individual must exhibit two or more distinct personality states that take turns controlling their behavior, as well as gaps in memory unexplainable by common forgetfulness. In Split, Kevin has 24 distinct identity states that alternately control his behavior (Shyamalan et al., 2016). Because Kevin also does not remember what happens when other identities take control, Shyamalan’s depiction of DID accurately conforms to ICD-10’s main diagnostic criteria for DID. Yet, to many mental health professionals and DID sufferers, Split is indeed a horror film, but not in the common sense. Instead, Split is seen as a horrifying example further promoting the stigma around DID and misinformed fear of mental illnesses. More than 20,000 people attempted to boycott the film, claiming that it promoted negative stereotypes and provided false connections between mental illness and violence (Davidson, 2017).

The controversy and resistance that the film has faced arises from media’s frequent misrepresentation and dismissal of DID. An important argument made by many protesters of this film is that the misunderstanding of this disorder is accompanied by

the lack of acknowledgment of DID in both the public and medical spheres, resulting in insufficient training and research. According to Amelia Joubert, one of the protestors who has been hospitalized several times for DID, the mental health professionals who treated her often did not believe in or were not knowledgeable enough about the disorder to treat it (Nedelman, 2017). Joubert’s experience is not singular; all DID sufferers have to struggle with the distressing symptoms of a mental illness. This struggle is compounded by the fact that their mental illness is not recognized by society. Thus, a more pertinent and significant issue lies in the representation of DID: that it is a real disorder that requires appropriate treatment.

As highlighted by Joubert, an important issue that the film addresses, and could potentially help to alleviate, is the uncertainty of DID’s diagnostic validity. The history of the disorder has been and still is a controversial matter. Some researchers argue that the majority of diagnoses of DID are made after implicit hypnotic suggestions by a few psychiatrists (Frankel, 1990; Ganaway, 1995; McHugh, 1995). They argue and depict DID to the public as an iatrogenic disorder, an illness caused by medical examination, instead of a traumagenic disorder, an illness caused by traumatic events. Others argue that DID is not a disorder at all. Contemporary researchers have concluded that the disorder is an epiphenomenon (a secondary byproduct that arises from but does not causally influence) of borderline personality disorder (Lauer, Black, & Keen, 1993).

These oppositional claims regarding the disorder discredit the validity of DID as a real condition. As a result, practitioners are often wary of making the diagnosis and other professionals are deprived of sufficient training on the treatment of DID. In a survey of mental health professionals who treat DID patients, they reported that due to the bizarre representation of DID as a manufactured disorder, their colleagues have moderate to extreme reactions 80% of the time after learning that the professionals are treating the disorder (Dell, 1988). As a result of the lack of recognition in both medical and public fields, only around 6% of people with DID reveal that they suffer from the disorder, if they are ever diagnosed at all (Kluft, 2011).

Unfortunately, past depiction of DID in film and media has not alleviated this pressing issue. Fight Club (1999), Secret Window (2004) and Raising Cain (1992) use DID identities to advance the main character’s criminal desires. The identities are plot devices and only that. In Split, a similar phenomenon occurs as well, where the different identities are used to create suspense, plot twist, and horror—the essential elements to a Shyamalan thriller film. However, Split goes beyond its genre and undertakes depicting dissociative identity disorder as a genuine and valid mental illness as well. It denies the claims that DID is an iatrogenic disorder or an epiphenomenon of another disorder and affirms trauma as a potential cause of this very real mental illness. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.; DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013) lists childhood abuse before the age of five as a common trigger for the disorder, and towards the end of the film, the audience witnesses the early emergence of the disorder through clips featuring episodes of Kevin’s mother abusing him as a child (Shyamalan et al., 2016). Kevin’s vivid recall of that experience triggered the resurfacing of his true identity, which had only survived his mother’s abuse because it was carefully protected by his alternative identities (Shyamalan et al., 2016).

Furthermore, Kevin’s therapist, Dr. Karen Fletcher, plays a role that is much more explicit in raising awareness for DID. Although she plays the hackneyed role of a ploy in the serial killer’s agenda, Dr. Fletcher engages with DID in a manner that is beyond necessary for a thriller film to be suspenseful or revenue-making. This addition to the film raises attention to the lack of public recognition and diagnostic validity of DID. A conversation in the film featuring Dr. Fletcher and her colleague showcases the lack of understanding and belief that exists among the mental health professionals to which Joubert had attested (Shyamalan et al., 2016). The colleague questions the validity of DID. Dr. Fletcher, however, reassures her colleague that DID is a distinct illness of its own. Dr. Fletcher is also dedicated to supporting the DID community and making sure they are able to receive her treatment. She faces abundant opposition from the field and the government, as she reveals to Kevin that her previous patients were incarcerated instead of provided continued treatment. Yet, Dr. Fletcher undertakes the mission to represent those that suffer from this illness and call for more research. She is seen speaking at a conference to an auditorium filled with experts in psychology, where she highlights the existence of the disorder as well as the psychobiological differences in different identities (Shyamalan et al., 2016). The somatic differences between identities that she mentions and the film depicts is somewhat exaggerated, but the theory that different identities can exhibit different biological characteristics is supported by multiple studies (e.g., Lapointe et al., 2006; Miller, Blackburn, Scholes, White, & Mamalis, 1991; Reinders et al., 2006) She calls for attention– something that is also much needed in the reality beyond Split.

Split validates DID and recognizes the controversy surrounding it. Validation of the disorder is crucial because a formal diagnosis enables funding for assessment and treatment of the disorder, as well facilitates research. In a study conducted regarding the treatment of DID patients, it was revealed that encountering both social and medical delegitimization of their symptoms and diagnosis is a greater burden than the disorder itself (Dickson, Knussen, & Flowers, 2007). For the 1% of the world population with DID, the recognition of their disorder creates a sense of validity for not only their current experience but their past trauma (Johnson, Cohen, Kasen, & Brook, 2006). For those that are inflicted with the disorder but are unaware of the actual condition, it encourages individuals to seek treatment for what otherwise would be dismissed.

However, to claim that the negative stigmas the film could possibly foster are negligible when weighed to its merit of raising awareness for DID is unfair. Even though it is a horror film, a thriller meant to entertain and not to document, Split should be held to the common standard of not causing harm to DID sufferers. Because of the violent depiction of Kevin’s identity, some DID sufferers might, and do, feel they are portrayed wrongly. But as knowledgeable viewers, it is important to be able to evaluate both the merits and shortcomings of a piece of work. Split not only advances a fact-based depiction of DID that is consistent with both the ICD-10 and the DSM-V, but also highlights the lack of recognition of the disorder through the work in the field done by the character of Dr. Fletcher. Despite its controversial reception, Split is the highest-grossing horror film in the past four years (Epstein, 2017), which puts DID and its lack of awareness into the public consciousness and potentially validates sufferers’ experiences.

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Split is twisty, weird, and a great guide to writer-director M. Night Shyamalan's obsessions

Everything Shyamalan loves to explore is in this film, which stars James McAvoy as man with dissociative identity disorder.

by Alissa Wilkinson

There’s a clever hint in Split — I won’t give it away — that the latest thriller by famously twisty director M. Night Shyamalan exists in the same universe as at least one of his other movies.

That hint feels calculated to blow our collective minds. Are all of Shyamalan’s films in the same universe? Most of them are set in and around Shyamalan’s hometown of Philadelphia, as is Split . Could Cleveland Heep from Lady in the Water , out on a stroll sometime, accidentally wander into the Village ? Could Graham Hess find himself administering the Eucharist at church one day to David Dunn ?

Whether or not Split represents the birth of the Shyamalan Unified Cinematic Universe remains to be seen. But Split does unify Shyamalan’s films in other ways, specifically through its three biggest themes, which thread throughout most of the other movies he’s written and directed, from The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable to The Village and The Visit . Even less critically praised entries like The Happening and Lady in the Water echo these themes.

Split might be Shyamalan’s most straightforward exploration to date of these three big themes, but they’re present, in some form or another, in most everything he makes.

1) People are motivated by death and dark secrets

Split pits a trio of teenage girls ( Anya Taylor-Joy , Haley Lu Richardson , and Jessica Sula ) against their kidnapper ( James McAvoy ), a man with dissociative identity disorder (DID). He has 23 identities, and, it seems, a 24th may be readying itself to emerge. His therapist ( Betty Buckley ) is convinced he and others like him hold the key to some discovery that science does not yet understand.

Casey (Taylor-Joy, who was last seen in The Witch ) is introduced to us as a sullen teenager and a clear outsider who’s only at a birthday party for the other girls because Claire (Richardson) felt compelled to invite her out of kindness. When Claire, Casey, and Marcia (Sula) are kidnapped, Casey’s first instinct isn’t to fight back. She despairs. Why even try?

In flashbacks, we come to realize that this instinct comes from both Casey’s loss of her beloved father and a secret she’s been hiding since she was a child. Casey’s been helpless for a long time, and it’s part of why she keeps to herself.

In this way, Casey is just one in a long string of Shyamalan characters who’ve isolated themselves in response to the loss of someone close to them. In Signs , Graham Hess is haunted by the loss of his wife; in Lady in the Water , Cleveland Heep has lost his entire family. David Dunn in Unbreakable is haunted by the near-loss of his wife, which has caused him to suppress an important memory. The village of The Village is created by people seeking to escape their tragedy and loss. Most of the action in The Happening comes from the same place. The Visit turns out to be about losing parents, too. And the whole concept of The Sixth Sense famously hinges on death and loss.

The fact that loss is a trigger for most of Shyamalan’s films is intriguing: There’s no clear biographical motivation for this, although Shyamalan went so far as to produce a fake documentary in 2014 about his own brief death as a child , in order to promote The Village .

Of course, death is hardly an obscure inspiration for movies. But it seems to occupy a special place in Shyamalan’s psyche. He’s interested in how people react to losing someone or something close to them, and his canon reflects that. That feeling of absence where once there was a person, for him, is the ultimate way to explain why people act how they do. Split joins that long line with yet another loss-haunted character.

2) The world contains more than we can see (sometimes)

Shyamalan’s psychological horror/thrillers often suggest that our senses can deceive us, and that what we think we know about the world is often wrong. This is how the famous “Shyamalan twist” usually operates: The characters — and the audience — make a set of assumptions about the world that turn out to be untrue. Surprise!

The Village is the most clearly allegorical of these twists: For most of the film, Ivy and Lucius (and the audience) assume that frightening creatures are keeping the villagers from entering the woods. The truth, of course, is much more complicated. A similar narrative move, in which a basic assumption about the movie’s setup turns out to be false, is what twists The Visit . (Shyamalan also served as a producer on Wayward Pines and directed one episode, which draws on the same uncertainty.)

In some films, like Lady in the Water , The Sixth Sense, and Unbreakable, it’s what the characters believe about themselves that turns out to be totally false. Can we even be sure our minds are accurately feeding us information about our own nature? Or — as in Signs and The Happening — has science really sorted out the natural and supernatural world as neatly as we think?

Split capitalizes on similar moments of pulling the rug out from under the audience. While the characters quickly figure out that their kidnapper has DID and is manifesting multiple personalities, how that condition actually works in this instance is the mystery. (McAvoy’s extraordinarily committed performance — in the credits, he’s listed as playing nine different characters — is a feat of remarkable shape-shifting.)

Shyamalan’s propensity to turn the tables on his characters and the audience works to his advantage in Split, which is actually less twisty than some of his other movies. But because we know it’s a Shyamalan movie, we spend the whole time second-guessing whether what we think we’re seeing onscreen is actually what we’re seeing, and whether the assumptions we’ve made are true. That means even when there’s nothing to second-guess, we’re still second-guessing — and so seemingly simple plot elements (some candy on a table, for instance, or the way someone dances) feel like they could be clues about some unknown mystery. That could be annoying, but in Split it feels like it’s all part of the game Shyamalan is playing with us.

But the self-deception common to Shyamalan’s characters is here, too; Casey has to find the truth about herself and discover her own agency through the fog of trauma in order to stay alive. This self-deception is also refracted in the kidnapper, who has so many personalities warring within him that it’s basically impossible for him to know himself.

As for science, the therapist, Dr. Fletcher, is sure she’s found something remarkable in this patient, something that may unlock mysteries of the human brain and belief in the divine. And she has. It’s just not what she thinks it is.

3) Your trauma is your superpower

This is the main theme of Split , and to be honest, it’s a troubling one. It’s voiced most clearly at the end, by a (literal) predator, who tells Casey that she is pure because of what she’s endured at the hands of others.

Naturally, the words of a predator and a villain should be taken with a hearty dash of salt — but it seems like the movie doesn’t discount this suggestion at all. Split’s whole bent is toward saying that only those who’ve endured extreme anguish or abuse are really capable of surviving in the world, and that they ought, in some manner, to be grateful for it. The kidnapper’s disorder came about as a way to cope with an abusive mother, while Dr. Fletcher is certain that the results of that abuse will give the human race new insight into its own condition, maybe even unlock its own potential.

This is a common trope in superhero stories from Batman to Captain America: Trauma is what gives heroes their powers. And it’s a continued theme throughout Shyamalan’s work as well. In Unbreakable , the superhero connection is made explicit, and trauma is what surfaces David’s potential. In Lady in the Water , Heep’s repressed grief is what makes him powerful. In The Sixth Sense , it’s what gives Cole the ability to see ghosts.

Given how common this trope is, there’s probably some truth buried in it, and some utility to it as well: Trauma is horrible to endure, but those who get through it can develop reactive instincts that can be an advantage in future troubling circumstances.

But the coupling of this suggestion with DID feels off in Split . Of course, people with DID do at times display extraordinary abilities that don’t seem to fit into what we know about human biology and psychology. There’s an argument to be made, and the movie seems to want to make it, that DID can and even ought be treated as more of a feature than a bug — that the kidnapper’s disorder gives him superpowers, which he developed to survive his childhood abuse. And Casey, too, received a sort of gift from her own trauma.

However, Split isn’t deeply reflective on this point. And by mirroring the trauma-as-superpower trope in both the kidnapper and Casey, the movie runs the risk of exploiting something that lots of people struggle with — both the effects of abuse and disorders like DID — and saying that they’re more special than other people, which could be taken as just another way of saying that they’re weird.

That almost certainly wasn’t Shyamalan’s aim. He tends to like a positive ending, and he seems to be going after something interesting with Split. But while this idea of trauma-induced ability could be taken as empowering, it also feels a little fetishistic here. And Split ’s ultimate outcome is a little troubling for those who actually do struggle with DID. A bit more attention to the implications of the screenplay would have not just avoided some of these pitfalls but also picked up the pace in some spots where the film lags unnecessarily.

Still, even with its drawbacks, Split is a solid encapsulation of what Shyamalan is all about, propelled by all his favorite topics, goosed by the audience’s expectations of a Shyamalan film, and topped off with the signature Shyamalan twist. And if it turns out to launch the Shyamalan Unified Cinematic Universe, too, I doubt fans will complain.

Split opens in theaters on January 20.

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M. Night Shyamalan Delivers Twists and Predictable Turns in Split

Unfortunately, I can’t talk about the best thing in Split , the new horror-thriller from writer-director M. Night Shyamalan. This being a Shyamalan joint, it comes loaded with a big twist—one that arrives right at the very end and retroactively casts a kicky, almost irreverent tone over the film. It’s a really fun twist, one engineered mostly to appeal to a certain set of die-hards, sending the audience—or at least those die-hards—out of the theater with a giddy laugh. Those final 30 or so seconds do a lot of work to cover up what is otherwise a mostly engaging piece of hokum, a grim kidnapping tale that makes a silly hash of psychology.

As the marketing materials suggest, Split concerns a man with multiple personalities. Some of them are good—like Barry, a friendly, swishy aspiring fashion designer—and some of them are bad. They’re all played by James McAvoy, an actor best known for his superhero movies who has, in a series of smaller films like Danny Boyle’s art heist/hypnotism oddity Trance and The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby , shown hints of a deeper, more versatile actor waiting to crawl out from underneath Professor X. (Not that he’s not good in the X-Men films; he is.) So a role like this one, with its many mannered moving parts, seems like something of a dream for an actor who wants to show us what he can really do. Sure, it’s a role in a January-release horror movie directed by a guy trying to wobble his way back into mainstream respectability—but it’s still a heck of a role!

And McAvoy tears into it, half admirably, half goofily. (Not that goofiness is never admirable; it can be!) He chiefly plays four different alters, carefully giving each an individual tenor and bearing. He’s smooth and gliding as the serenely menacing Patricia. He lisps and jitters as a little boy named Hedwig. (He dances, too, revealing further versatility.) It’s neat to watch McAvoy switch between these distinct people, hardening and softening his malleable (and, it must be said, decidedly handsome) face and finding different timbres in his voice. It may all feel a bit like a preening one-man off-Broadway show, but McAvoy largely pulls the thing off without embarrassing himself.

That said, Split is another entry in the dismayingly vast canon of stories that do a lot to demonize mental illness. Dissociative identity disorder is a controversial topic in psychiatric study, and not one understood with any scientific consensus. But Split treats it as certain, and dangerous, fact. At one point in the film, Barry/Hedwig/etc.’s condition is almost treated like werewolfism, a volatile and unwieldy becoming, endured by its sufferer like a curse. The film, in all its Sybil -esque literalism, is regressive and creakily familiar; its supposed “isn’t this crazy , man??” surprises are never really that surprising. (Except for that last one.) You can’t blame McAvoy for wanting to take on the challenge, just as you couldn’t blame Toni Collette for hamming it up on three seasons of The United States of Tara . But Shyamalan’s impulses are less forgivable.

I nonetheless found myself begrudgingly enjoying Split , stylishly framed and tensely constructed as it is. We’ve seen variations on its plot before: a madman captures and imprisons three young women with intent to do them some kind of harm. Meanwhile, a good-hearted psychiatrist, played by Betty Buckley (this is her second Shyamalan feature—might she be his new muse?), grows ever more concerned about a patient’s worsening mental state. The three women in the dungeon are played by Anya Taylor-Joy, Haley Lu Richardson, and Jessica Sula. Sula and Richardson are mostly meant to plead and scream, and they do that well. (While watching the film, I found myself thinking about what a strange and depressing and cruel ritual we make so many—most?—up-and-coming young actresses endure, granting them access to the rest of Hollywood only if we’ve seen them begging for their lives in their underwear first.) Richardson, so lively and present in the wonderful The Edge of Seventeen, manages to give her lines a little shading, as does Sula, but Taylor-Joy, who broke out last year in The Witch , is the only one who’s really been given any sort of character.

Shyamalan is telling a story of abuse here, about internalized childhood trauma that manifests itself in dark ways later in life. Taylor-Joy’s Casey is muted and asocial, a school misfit who, trapped in this sudden horror, pretty quickly decides that she must play a psychological game with her captor rather than try to fight her way out. There’s some odd emotional connection between the two, one Shyamalan tries to elucidate in flashbacks to a hunting trip that a younger Casey took with her father and uncle. Thus Split becomes a movie about Casey reclaiming the agency and strength robbed of her long ago. At least, it seems the movie is going there. Split takes on an unexpected new personality at the very end, standing on its own story to reach something higher. That final twist is a silly doozy—in a good way—but it also diminishes the well-crafted little B-movie that came before. Shyamalan hasn’t changed, it turns out. He’s still the same person.

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• Personality

Split: Horror with a Side of Split Personality

The unhealthy end of the identity spectrum.

Posted February 1, 2017

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With "Split" M Night Shaymalan is back. Until the next “Lady in the Water” at least.

This engaging thriller about the kidnapping of three teenage girls offers a superbly acted and plausibly complex portrait of a villain with Dissociative Identity Disorder (a.k.a. split personality ).

To clarify, the term split personality is a catchy placeholder for a process of fractured consciousness and personality that remains largely a mystery to the field of clinical psychology. If the split personality phenomenon even exists, it is likely a function of trauma . Meaning, the split personalities emerge and develop within the individual in response to the mind’s choice to hide from the pain of unresolved past, current and perceived realities. It goes without saying that this subconscious series of choices is severely dysfunctional, and the therapeutic end goal (the one thing the field agrees on) is integration - get back to a single, coherent sense of identity.

Without continuity of consciousness you could struggle to achieve even the most basic of emotional and relational capacities - when you get angry and yell at someone, for instance, you need to be able to take responsibility and repair the damage caused by the misbehavior to be successful in relationships. And you cannot possibly do this if you have built an internal world that permits you to say, “that wasn’t me,” especially to a split personality degree wherein you literally believe "that wasn't me."

To a degree, we all struggle with the “that wasn’t me” coping response to unwanted emotions, memories, actions and other distressing life content. All of our personalities fluctuate on a consciousness-identity spectrum, and it seems theoretically reasonable to suggest that split personality is the unhealthy pole of this continuum. On the other end, of course,is the theoretically flawless picture of health - a positive, cohesive, and stable sense of one-ness (mostly aspirational, sometimes achievable).

Shifting back to the movie's discussion of identity, I consider it a nuanced point of reality that each of James McAvoy’s characters within a character possessed some degree of self-awareness (knowing he/she was part of an ensemble cast, so to speak).

One mission of this blog is to reality check the portrayal of mental illness and therapy in cinema, and I have a few takeaways:

In this film, a person with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) also succumbs to the dark and disturbed urge to kidnap and potentially (will refrain from spoiling) kill. While little is known about DID there is no empirically supported reason to presume that DID correlates or causes such unique anger and violence. Further, on the matter of murderous villains and mental health diagnoses, I have long hypothesized that the willingness to kidnap and murder (in reality) requires a specific and unique blend of personality factors associated with three separate mental health diagnoses (Borderlines Personality Disorder , Narcissistic Personality Disorder, and Anti-Social Personality Disorder). I found it to be another point of nuanced reality that this film’s character had not just DID but shades of these other diagnoses.

Another mission of this blog is to tease out the therapeutic value so often embedded in film and television.

A clear life lesson of “Split” is the importance of knowing thyself. It is better to openly confront/resolve internal conflicts and dilemmas than to avoid, procrastinate and compartmentalize . If you go too far in this unhealthy direction you could slip into DID territory. While I'm mostly joking about the slippery slope (DID is very rare and extreme), we all struggle with the instinct to retreat from, rather than combat head-on, psychic distress. And success is contingent upon, among other things, a clear and cohesive identity.

Perhaps this is why all therapy, regardless of the problems being treated or the theoretical rationale being employed, trumpets clarification of goals and values. You have to know what you want, and how you want to get there, to know if you are even moving toward or away from a happier and healthier version of yourself. A therapist’s basic duty is to help a client not only clarify goals and values, but to reality check and modify any preexisting goals and values that are unhealthy. Formulating more effective means to such desired ends is, of course, the other part of the treatment puzzle.

I highly recommend "Split" if you are in the mood for strong entertainment and a rich discussion of split personality, and don't mind a viewing experience of perpetual horror and creepy danger.

Jeremy Clyman, Psy.D. , is a forensic and clinical psychologist.

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‘Split’ Injects Psychology Into The Modern Thriller | Film Review

Amanda M. Sink January 20, 2017

In what some would say has been over a decade since M. Night Shyamalan has put an intriguing and worthy piece of work on screen, he is back at it again with the twists, turns, and trickery in Split . This time, real-life circumstances are surfaced in a very terrifying way. Shyamalan takes a fascinating look into the world of psychological disorders and the laughable attention they receive.

James McAvoy brilliantly portrays Kevin, a man diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID); also known as having multiple personalities. Kevin has a total of 23 personalities known to his doctor (Betty Buckley), and one more that has yet to surface. In a matter of two hours, we meet about one-third of these personalities, and each one is carefully and diligently transitioned from one to the next by McAvoy. There isn’t an ounce of disappointment in any of his characters. One second, he’s a serious and aggressive man, and – with the precision timing of a clock – the next he’s a 9 year old boy. His changeovers are thoroughly impressive, especially when they’re happening in a SPLIT second.

In the midst of meetings between Kevin’s personalities and Buckley’s Dr. Fletcher, three teenage girls have been kidnapped and are attempting every possibility including peeing on themselves to find an escape. These girls, Casey Cooke (Anya Taylor- Joy), Claire Benoit (Haley Lu Richardson), and Marcia (Jessica Sula) must fight their own fears and pry into the psyche of Kevin and all of his counterparts to find their way out alive. Whether they can accomplish this before Kevin achieves his ominous end goal becomes the journey that propels us towards the film’s conclusion.

We’re given an unsettling backstory on Casey, unlike the others, which give insight into who she is now. That’s one of the largest meanings in the film, it feels like. How trauma can affect one’s mind and life, and how those considered broken are keener to surviving traumatic situations than those who aren’t. The acting is nothing subpar here, with a full cast of outstanding performers. Anya Taylor-Joy, gives feeling to every “pure” heart out there, while Betty Buckley is playing the part of a well-versed psychiatrist in only the best of ways.

You’ll find yourself betrothed in the combination of reality and supernatural, impatiently waiting to meet the next personality. M. Night attempts to give his audience a puzzle so that by the end, we’re fully engaged in putting together the pieces. However, he falls shy in some of his subtleties, so portions of the plot are figured out fairly early on. With that comes a bit of misdirection. The first two acts lead in one very certain path, while the third doesn’t play along as well. It feels in the beginning as though this may be a film that finally takes mental health seriously and breaks the stigma, but the last act somewhat eats away at the idea with a very dramatic turn in direction.

The most fascinating aspect of Split truthfully is the portrayal of Dissociative Identity Disorder. Giving insight to an uneducated audience on the topic is crucial and exceptionally done. It surely gives the reassurance that they are people just like the rest of us, except their minds are so incredibly advanced, our own can only try to comprehend. A beautiful piece in the story reminds us all how truly mesmerizing the broken are; the broken are the ones who have endured trauma in exasperating ways and they’re the same ones to survive. It’s astounding what the human brain can do. Also – what trauma can do to the brain and psyche… And etcetera.

Hollywood Outsider Review Score

Acting - 8.5, production - 7.5.

Tags anya taylor-joy betty buckley m. night Shyamalan split

About Amanda M. Sink

New movie 'Split' explores real psychological disorder

Actor James McAvoy plays a character with dissociative identity disorder in a scene from 'Split.' The movie was released Jan. 20, 2017. (Universal Pictures via AP)

For a person dealing with dissociative identity disorder, the mind and body can resemble a 9-year-old boy coloring photos of the house he lives in at one moment and a 24-year-old British female with obsessive compulsive disorder the next.

New movie 'Split' describes the life of a person dealing with dissociative identity disorder — a battle between multiple personalities.

The movie was released on Jan. 20 and depicts the story of a man diagnosed with the disorder. Kevin, the main character, has 23 different personalities. The storyline of the movie involves a battle between those personalities, his therapist and the three teenage girls whom he abducts at the beginning of the movie, according to IMDb .

Psychology Today defines dissociative identity disorder as a 'severe condition in which two or more distinct identities, or personality states, are present in — and alternately take control of — an individual.'

Actor James McAvoy poses during a photo call for the movie 'Split' in Milan, Italy on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017. Split is a psychological horror thriller film based on the true story of Billy Milligan. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

BYU film student Jordan Brown said 'Split' showed how real the disorder is to individuals who struggle with it. He said he thought the movie did a good job of portraying the change of personalities in a person.

'It really showed how personalities can develop in people with this disorder, and the movie was great at showing the transition into different personalities,' Brown said. 'The character’s personalities changed throughout the movie, and it was so fascinating to watch.'

BYU psychologist and Comprehensive Clinic director Dean Barley said there are many people who struggle with this disorder.

'It's hard for clinicians and the general public to believe this disorder actually exists,' Barley said. 'Unfortunately, it does exist and people deal with this. It's virtually always the result of a repeated trauma. If I'm a loved one, knowing the history of the person might be something to watch for — someone with an alleged trauma does have a higher probability of experiencing this condition.'

Barley said 23 personalities are reasonable in real life for those who struggle with this disorder, and there is usually a purpose for each of those personalities.

'People develop as many 'alters' as necessary to survive their situation with whatever characteristics they need,' Barley said. 'Often, the different personalities will include different genders, ages, voices and characteristics that all have a meaning. These characteristics often are triggered by certain things and they show up and perform their function and then they're gone.'

BYU Latin American studies alumnus Seth Hoyt said the character's transition of personalities was interesting to see as the character completely changed everything about his persona. He said the character went from one severe personality to another personality, such as from a 9-year-old boy to a middle-aged woman.

According to Barley, the transition of personalities can be abrupt. But because these people have learned to survive in the public, these changes can be so subtle that other people don't even notice the shift.

'If I'm talking to someone while they change 'alters,' I will often say to them, 'I spent the last 15 minutes speaking to a child,' and they may not remember, or they may say, 'Yeah I was watching and I know (that alter).' They often don't remember, though,' Barley said.

Hoyt praised James McAvoy's acting and said he did a phenomenal job at showcasing each individual personality the character embodied.

'My favorite part of it was the actual character of Kevin that James McAvoy played,' Hoyt said. 'Seeing him switch between the different characters is interesting. I thought it was interesting when the doctor would talk about the personalities and how the character really believed that he was each of those different persons.'

Barley said although there are different opinions of the entertainment this movie brings, this is still a real disorder that many people deal with today. He said these people can function normally in society, and many of these people are often misdiagnosed with a variety of conditions like schizophrenia or bipolar disorders, according to Barley.

'When I talk to these people about what they want the public to know, they will often tell me that if there is one thing they want the public to know is that 'We exist and we want to be treated respectfully,'' Barley said.

Brown said he thought even though some of the parts of the movie were exaggerated, it showed real struggles of the disorder.

'It really showed the audience the internal struggles that people with that disorder deal with,' Brown said. 'It also showed how out of hand that disorder could get if it’s not recognized by the therapist or anyone else.'

• Entertainment

Split is the latest horror film to misunderstand why mental illness is terrifying

Horror that understands its antagonists isn’t just more sensitive, it’s scarier.

By Charles Bramesco

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Spoilers ahead for M. Night Shyamalan’s Split .

“The only idea more overused than serial killers is multiple personality.” That scripting advice from one screenwriter to another (both played by Nicolas Cage in 2002’s Adaptation ), could practically be a diss aimed directly at Split. The latest effort from suspense maestro M. Night Shyamalan casts James McAvoy as mentally ill serial killer Kevin, and more specifically, as Jade, Hedwig, Patricia, Barry, and upward of a dozen more personalities splintering from Kevin’s unstable psyche. The personae wrestle for control of a single body as they carry out the dark work of kidnapping and preparing three teenage girls for sacrifice to something inhuman. This makes for one doozy of a trailer, but in mining terror from dissociative identity disorder (DID), Shyamalan travels one of horror cinema’s most well-trod paths, and faceplants into the same pitfalls that have tarnished scary movies for decades.

In short, we need to talk about Kevin. Or rather, Shyamalan does. The character’s original identity briefly surfaces late in the film, but most of the run time goes to the array of caricatures cooped up in the dysfunctional boarding house of his brain. The original personality is mostly an afterthought, a brief interlude in a hammy performance from McAvoy, clearly having the time of his life. The end of the film makes Kevin out to be a literal supervillain and dubs him “the Horde” — an appropriate fate, considering how intent Shyamalan seems on divorcing the character from the vulnerability that makes him compelling. He loses sight of Kevin’s fundamental humanity, and in doing so, misunderstands what can really make mental illness a terrifying ordeal. Loads of horror flicks have used mental abnormalities to create fearsome antagonists, but the best of them relate how these conditions also torment the afflicted, who can be as frightened by their own nagging thoughts as the audience is.

Where else could the phenomenon begin but with Psycho , Alfred Hitchcock’s Rosetta Stone for translating a huge chunk of modern horror cinema? The mind’s capabilities to misfire have frightened the public imagination since Jack the Ripper’s sociopathy cleared the streets of Whitechapel after dark, but Hitchcock was the first to put it into pop-psych layman’s terms. He vilified the brain itself, and its ability to turn on its owner and whisper troubling orders into the subconscious. Norman Bates’ mommy complex is torn straight from Freud 101, but Hitchcock lent the character more nuance than the analyst’s profile in the concluding scene suggests. Norman is the truest casualty of his tyrannical mother, and Hitchcock has a clear compassion for the character’s tragic dimension. Sympathizing with him and making him human makes him a richer character overall, and lends the murder scenes a stronger emotional and psychological undercurrent. Viewers are torn, sympathizing both with Norman’s victims and with Norman himself, and that ambiguity is what sticks long after the credits roll.

The ideal horror film makes its audience care about a mentally ill character, not just acknowledge their sickness and move right along. Sympathy doesn’t just make for more finely shaded characters — it combats the toxic real-world stigma that’s come from reprehensible depictions of mental illness. Plenty of works of fiction have used disorders to make their rogues’ gallery more distinctive and striking. But obscuring the underlying personhood of mentally struggling characters reinforces the harmful notion that people with mental disorders are somehow beyond human.

The Friday the 13th franchise began with another psychological case study, as grieving mother Pamela Voorhees descended into post-traumatic madness and took revenge on the camp counselors her fractured mind believed were responsible for the death of her son, Jason. The original film extended a minimum of sympathy to her, and offered the audience a disturbing look at how mental stressors can distort a mother’s love for her son into homicidal urges. The films that followed sacrificed whatever slight nuance they had by shifting the focus to Jason, an indestructible killing machine whose famed hockey mask deliberately rendered him a blank slate. It’s a lucrative but wrongheaded approach — a lack of basic relatability makes Jason larger (and more fearsome) than life, but it also rapidly reduced him to a caricature.

Split tops the Friday the 13th franchise in a walk, however. To its credit, Shyamalan’s script uses the more up-to-date term of dissociative identity disorder rather than “multiple-personality” to refer to Kevin’s condition. Not to its credit is the rest of the film, which repeatedly fixates on the brain’s potential to psychosomatically change a body’s physiology. Kevin’s analyst, Dr. Karen Fletcher, repeatedly spells out her controversial theory that DID grants sufferers extraordinary control of their bodies, citing such examples as a blind woman with a personality capable of vision, or a strongman personality spontaneously developing extraordinary strength. Shyamalan extends the concept to a cartoonish extreme when he introduces Kevin’s personality “the Beast,” which has superhuman abilities and a monstrous appearance. By the end of the film, Kevin is exhibiting abilities that amount to superpowers, somehow derived from what professional consensus indicates is his brain’s extreme coping mechanism to a fleetingly shown childhood of abuse. ( Medical orthodoxy favors the notion that personalities fracture as an attempt to quarantine and compartmentalize harmful mental stressors.) The act of other-ing Kevin as a patient of DID isn’t even incidental; it’s the whole point. It’s hard to imagine a more squarely on-the-nose example of demonizing mental illness than portraying a mentally ill man as a literal demon.

Even when not deliberately toxic, many on-screen depictions of mental illness have been factually and flatly wrong. Plenty of myths have already been debunked; cases of alternate personalities turning violent are incredibly scarce, and cases of archly evil behavior are nonexistent. Sybil , starring Sally Field, is widely considered the definitive portrait of a dissociating psyche, but it’s a work of pure fiction. Shirley Mason , the real-life model for the theatrically disturbed character, has confessed that she was faking, and did not actually house multiple identities. The act of “flipping” from one mind to another has more dramatic heft than the reality of the situation, where patients slip between mental spaces.

Maybe a demand for baseline factual accuracy seems like nitpicking when it comes to scary movies. For the sake of argument, let’s assume the lone service of a horror picture is to scare the bejesus out of its audience. That’s fine — the problem isn’t just that Shyamalan’s approach compounds public distrust for the mentally unwell, it’s the way it ignores the rich potential for more complex storytelling and raw, visceral frights. Split works in quick jabs of terror, spooking the trembling teen captives with the occasional burst of violence or terror. Films that provide a window into an unwell mentality , however, can color every scene with free-floating fear. Black Swan had the good sense to take its visual and stylistic cues from the mental interior of Natalie Portman’s paranoid ballerina as she cracks under the pressure of the gig of a lifetime. Likewise, for Tim Robbins’ PTSD-stricken veteran in Jacob’s Ladder, chilling hallucinations can pop out of anywhere, keeping the viewer permanently on guard.

Mental illness does have its place in the horror genre, and it is scary. The feeling that your brain no longer follows the commands you give it, that your senses can’t be trusted, that you’re at the mercy of internal forces you can’t comprehend or control — it can be a nightmare sprung to life. It’s a filmmaker’s responsibility to keep it all in perspective, and extend a grain of sympathy to affected characters, even as they slide further into their delusion. The world remembers Hannibal Lecter and his refinement coexisting with savagery, not Buffalo Bill, whose body dysmorphia transforms him into a snarling, feral animal. One is a character, the other’s a ghoul.

It’s possible that Shyamalan realizes this, too. When Kevin briefly appears, he’s a friendly figure, compared to his alternate personalities. But Shyamalan’s creaky dialogue and McAvoy’s detached stoicism in the moment make that moment ring false, more lip service than a character beat. The real Kevin seems to be a relatively normal guy, only faintly affected by his own psychosis. In that moment, all the tension and internal conflict evaporates, and any connection the audience may have had with him is instantly severed. That moment encapsulates the trouble with Split, and with the countless films that have made the same error: before we can feel her pain, we’ve got to feel his.

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“Split” and Shyamalan: A case study

As we move past the holiday movie season and into the New Year, there are a couple of movies to look out for early on and into the spring. “Split” is one movie that had critics and audiences talking alike due to the now notorious M. Night Shyamalan as a director. Known for his unanticipated twists and arbitrary cameos, Shyamalan created a niche following as a director after surprising audiences with his mysterious stories following compelling characters.

A certain bunch of his earlier films such as “The Sixth Sense,” “Unbreakable” and “Signs” were critically acclaimed and helped Shyamalan acquire a significant following, building anticipation for his then promising career in the director’s chair.  Unfortunately, some false confidence may have followed, or pure bad luck as Shyamalan struck a few low notes as he released six new films, all striking out among viewers and critics. Due to an expectation of a “classic Shyamalan twist”, or maybe too much interference from production companies, people began to give up hope as they walked out of theaters seeing some of his later films such as “The Happening,” “ The Last Airbender” or “After Earth.”

As Shyamalan took some time to think about his directorial vision and work on a new project, the general population was not in high hopes when his name flashed across the screen for a new film, “The Visit,” as the director. Alas! People and critics showed an overall positivity to the film, and liked it! So, he began the grueling task of climbing back up the mountain, and trying to reclaim his title as a praised director and storyteller going back to his roots.

“Split” tells the story of three girls being kidnapped by a man, Kevin (James McAvoy), who suffers from dissociative identity disorder carrying along 23 personalities in his psyche. The movie has a coherent and suspenseful story, accompanied by a darker earth toned palette and well composed shots; thanks to the director of photography, Mike Gioulakis, who inspired Shyamalan from his work in “It Follows.” James McAvoy also deserves an honorable mention with his convincing performance playing 23 different characters all of which have very unique voices and behaviors. His idiosyncratic mannerisms and well-acted voices help sell the story and character in a way that I have rarely seen in movies covering dissociative identity disorder, and helps showcase his prowess aside from playing Charles Xavier.

I am going to take a look at the accuracy of the film’s portrayal (excluding the last 15 minutes) of dissociative identity disorder, which was a disorder popularized by certain films such as “Psycho,” “Fight Club” or “Identity” generally under the name of multiple personality disorder.

Using the 5 th edition Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders (DSM 5) for reference, I was impressed by the movie’s presentation of the disorder, and its awareness to certain issues with a diagnosis. The disorder itself is characterized by disruptions of consciousness in the subject, which may affect memories, his or her identity, body representations, and behavior.

Our main character, Kevin, shows many of the diagnostic features, such as the presence of two or more identities, dissociative amnesia, and different perceptions of his own physicality when changing identities. I also appreciated how his therapist, Karen (Betty Buckley), accurately mentions the disorder being on a spectrum, instead of the dichotomous nature many people think mental illness consists of.

Another place the movie hit the nail on the head was its inclusion of Kevin’s identities suffering from other pathology, such as anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, or impulsivity which is typical in those suffering from dissociative disorder. We see flashbacks of Kevin experiencing traumatic situations as a child, which is correlated with an increased risk of the disorder, again showing accuracy to the DSM 5. One characteristic frequently found in those diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder is the need to hide the symptoms, or embarrassment and confusion about the symptoms which was also displayed by McAvoy during his spontaneous therapy sessions.

Overall, I was impressed with the research and accuracy of the films portrayal, and definitely recommend it if you want some insight into the disorder, or are a long-time Shyamalan fan. Though there are some minor shortfalls in the portrayal of the disorder, it gives insight into the suffering of those who are given the diagnosis, and help us gain a small amount of comprehension and compassion of what is being experienced.

• movie review

The Story Behind Split's Big Reveal: How M. Night Shyamalan Pulled It Off, And What's Been Said Since

Here's how that shocking scene came to be...

SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for Split . If you have yet to watch M. Night Shyamalan ’s 2017 thriller, please exercise extreme caution. One of the best M. Night Shyamalan movies , Split, hit the big screen in 2017 and quickly became a massive hit, both at the box office and with critics. In fact, we gave the tense psychological horror film 3.5 out of 5 stars in our official review upon its release. And while the main part of the film generated a lot of buzz with its performances from James McAvoy and Anya Taylor-Joy , it was the Split ending , and that Bruce Willis cameo, that audiences couldn’t get enough of way back when.

Years later, the story behind the Split twist ending is still fascinating, especially when considering everything Shyamalan had to go through to make it happen. That said, we’ve put together the story behind the film’s big reveal, how the filmmaker pulled it off, and what’s been said since. 

How They Got Bruce Willis On Board 

The story of how Bruce Willis came to reprise his role as David Dunn in Split started long before the film opened in theaters and even before anyone outside of a small group knew that the movie would have any connection with Unbreakable . In a February 2017 conversation with the Wall Street Journal , M. Night Shyamalan revealed that conversations about Willis’ cameo started back in 2015 when he made a call to former Walt Disney Pictures President Sean Bailey and asked if he could reference the character in his then-upcoming movie ( Unbreakable was released by Disney while Split was being handled by Universal).

Not only did Bailey grant the request, he didn’t charge the filmmaker a fee to do so. Instead, they came to an agreement in which any future sequels would be shared by the two studios . Years later, Glass , the third film in the franchise was distributed by Disney. Now Shyamalan just had to get Willis to sign off on the idea. 

Split's Final Scene Wasn't Part Of The Original Script 

As he wanted to keep Bruce Willis’ involvement a secret from pretty much everyone who didn’t need to know about it, M. Night Shyamalan didn’t include the Split twist ending in the original script. This meant that not even Universal Pictures knew about what the director was cooking up (more on that later). When speaking with CinemaBlend’s ReelBlend podcast in July 2021, Shyamalan recalled the moment he finally decided to film Willis’ scene:

I said, ‘Let’s just go for it.’ Lemme call Bruce and say, ‘Hey dude, would you just come to Philly for, like, three hours and shoot this thing for me?’ And he was like, ‘Why, what?’ And I was like, ‘Well, I did this movie, and it’s kind of in the Unbreakable world. I don’t know if we’ll ever shoot (a sequel). Do you just want to just come for three hours, bro?’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, yeah. I’ll come.’

One phone call later, Shyamalan was one step closer to making not just one of the best horror films of 2017 , but an all-time great twist ending audiences still can’t get enough of. 

M. Night Shyamalan Hid Split's Big Reveal From Universal Studios Until The Very Last Second 

The brass at Universal Studios didn’t know about the Split twist ending until the very last second because M. Night Shyamalan never included the scene in the drafts or early test screenings. In the same ReelBlend podcast interview mentioned above, the director revealed that Universal was “completely flummoxed” when he did finally show them the scene, stating:

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I go to the Universal Studios chairman, (the) marketing team, everyone’s in the theater. We pull down the lights and we play them Split. They don’t know the ending that they’re watching. They didn’t even know I shot it, because I didn’t even send them the dallies of that (scene). The lights go down. They watch the whole movie of Split. Then this scene comes on, and they’re completely flummoxed. They look at me, and they’re like, ‘What are you saying? That’s a Disney movie!’ (Laughs) And I go, ‘It’s all good. We have the permission to do it!’ Can you imagine? You are the chairman of the studio, and the guy shows you that it’s a sequel to a movie from another studio?

Remember, Universal not only had no idea the scene existed, the studio didn’t know anything about the conversations Shyamalan had with Disney in which Sean Bailey agreed to let him use the Unbreakable character.

The Horde Was Originally Supposed To Be In Unbreakable  

Oddly enough, the connection shared by Split and Unbreakable goes back further than the 2017 horror film. Shyamalan was building a shared universe way back when he was making the 1999 movie starring Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson before making changes the script. When speaking with Vulture in 2019, the director revealed that “The Horde,” the nickname for James McAvoy’s various personalities, was supposed to bump into David Dunn more than a decade-and-a-half earlier, before they crossed paths in Glass .

The decision was ultimately made to remove that aspect from the Unbreakable script and focus on it much later on because it was going to get in the way of the character development he wanted to do with the movie’s characters.

M. Night Shyamalan Originally Had Easter Eggs Teasing The Unbreakable Connection In Split But Decided To Take Them Out 

David Dunn wasn’t originally going to be the only connection to Unbreakable found in Split , as Shyamalan originally toyed with the idea of including all kinds of Easter eggs teasing a shared universe before ultimately deciding to drop that aspect from the script. In a January 2017 conversation with Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast , the director explained that he was going to have references to battles between Mr. Glass (Samuel L. Jackson) and David Dunn, but he ultimately decided that it was going to be too much of a distraction from the story he was trying to tell.

Though a scene showing the aftermath of one of those battles was filmed, the director said there was a lot of confusion surrounding it, so he kept it out.

Despite Several Clues In The Script, James McAvoy Didn't Know Split Was Intended As An Unbreakable Sequel  

Not only did Universal Studios not know that Split was being treated as a stealth sequel to Unbreakable , but the film’s star, James McAvoy, was also in the dark. In a January 2019 interview with Digital Spy , the actor revealed that despite there being slight hints at a shared universe in the script, he never picked up on them while preparing to play Kevin Wendell Crumb (and the various other personalities). 

It wasn’t until much later that McAvoy began to piece together the pieces of the puzzle, even after Shyamalan kept dropping further hints on the set by mentioning characters from Unbreakable . After finally figuring it out, McAvoy approached the director and “came clean with him” about his confusion.

Anya Taylor-Joy Didn't Know Anything About The Bruce Willis Cameo Until Shyamalan Told Her After A Screening  

McAvoy wasn’t alone in not knowing Split was a part of something much bigger, as Anya Taylor-Joy didn’t know about the Bruce Willis scene until she attended a teaser screening with Shyamalan prior to the film’s release. In a January 2018 interview with EW (via Yahoo! Entertainment ), the actress revealed that while the final scene wasn’t in the screening she attended, the director pulled her aside before it started and filled her in on the movie being a sequel to Unbreakable . Not only that, Shyamalan informed her there were plans for a third film, Glass , and she was going to be involved.

M. Night Shyamalan Ultimately Decided To Keep The Split Ending A Secret From Audiences And Instead Let Word Of Mouth Promote The Film 

After letting the actors and studio executives know he was about to expand the Unbreakable universe, M. Night Shyamalan had to figure out how to approach the situation with audiences. In a January 2017 interview with CinemaBlend , the filmmaker explained his thought process in not promoting the twist, stating:

I remember pitching it in my office, like, 'What if we made a movie, but you didn't realize that what you were watching until the end, that you were watching the sequel, but you didn't know.'

When Shyamalan was asked by his team why a studio wouldn’t promote a movie as a sequel, he simply said “we’ll let word of mouth do that.” The gamble ultimately worked, as Split would go on to make $278 million worldwide, per BoxOffice Mojo .

Samuel L. Jackson Didn’t Know Split Was A Sequel Until He Saw It Himself 

Though Bruce Willis was in the loop about Split being a sequel to Unbreakable , his co-star, Samuel L. Jackson, Mr. Glass himself, didn’t know anything about it until he saw the movie.  When speaking with Vulture in 2018, the MCU star recalled the moment Shyamalan called him and told him to go see the movie without letting him know what was going on. Soon after, he met with the director and found out that a sequel would happen if Split was a box-office success. It was a major hit, and Glass was on the way to becoming a reality.

Producer Jason Blum Has Attributed The Film's Small Budget For Being Able To Keep The Ending Secret 

So, how were M. Night Shyamalan and Blumhouse Productions able to keep the Split twist ending a surprise for everyone? Well, when speaking with CinemaBlend back in 2017, Jason Blum chalked it up to the film’s relatively small budget ($9 million) and how it allowed them to make Split a standalone movie without saying it was going to be a part of something bigger. 

The horror producer explained that if it had been a $50 million movie, there would have been no way the secret could have been kept as long. Everyone from Universal essentially left the production team alone, which allowed them to create one of the most unforgettable movie moments of the 2010s.

Obviously, Shyamalan’s grand plan worked, the Split twist ending was a major hit, and the legendary filmmaker gave audiences one of the best horror movies of all time in the process.

Philip grew up in Louisiana (not New Orleans) before moving to St. Louis after graduating from Louisiana State University-Shreveport. When he's not writing about movies or television, Philip can be found being chased by his three kids, telling his dogs to stop barking at the mailman, or chatting about professional wrestling to his wife. Writing gigs with school newspapers, multiple daily newspapers, and other varied job experiences led him to this point where he actually gets to write about movies, shows, wrestling, and documentaries (which is a huge win in his eyes). If the stars properly align, he will talk about For Love Of The Game being the best baseball movie of all time.

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Dissociative Identity Disorder

What the movie 'split' got right (and wrong).

Author’s Note : The following is a discussion of the movie “Split” and contains spoilers.

A “split” is a separation, a rift between two things. It can be a split within the mind, something that happens for survival. In the real world, such a “split” (more of a separation, a dissociation than a schism), isn’t horrific. A split can also refer to a fissure between the real and the fictitious, the truth and the untruth. Movies, books and the like dance around this fissure in an attempt to inform us and entertain us. I recently saw a movie I thought might take the split between reality and unreality and blast it into a giant chasm.

The movie “ Split ” premiered in theaters across the U.S. on a January weekend in 2017. As a mental health writer, someone who lives with mental illness, a certified counselor and author of a novel (“Twenty-Four Shadows” published by Apprentice House Press) about dissociative identity disorder (DID), I was highly curious about this new movie.

Curious, to be sure, but skeptical. “Split,” after all, is a thriller and the previews made it look creepy indeed. Was this going to be another uninformed, sensationalized, inaccurate portrayal of mental illness and people who live with it? Seeking an unbiased impression of what this movie was up to, I went in with an open mind, a notebook and a pen. I emerged with mixed feelings. Split between pleasantly surprised and somewhat disappointed.

A Pleasant Surprise: “Split” Got Some Things Right

“Split,” for the most part, wasn’t overly sensationalized. For much of the movie, “Split” portrayed a man with DID as an actual person. Or more accurately, as actual people. We find out fairly late in the movie the original identity is Kevin and that Kevin has 23 alternate parts. “Split” treats these alters as it should: separate identities in their own right, each with different traits and personalities.

The alters, collectively called a system  (a term the movie correctly uses), see a psychiatrist by the name of Dr. Fletcher who explains, “The brain has learned to adapt to the trauma.” This is exactly what happens  in DID. A child experiences severe trauma — usually in the form of abuse — and to handle it, the psyche splits, shatters, into alternate parts.

In “Twenty-Four Shadows,” Dr. Charlie, Isaac’s psychiatrist, uses a starfish analogy to explain DID to Isaac and his wife.

“It [the separation into alternate parts] happened because the one, whole starfish couldn’t withstand the severity of the abuse. It was either fragment into different entities or be completely destroyed. To survive, the starfish fragmented. Little Isaac’s mind was shattered for self-preservation.”

“Split” does a refreshingly good job of showing dissociative identity disorder isn’t behavior fabricated for attention, nor is it a weakness. It’s the brain’s survival instinct rising up to meet a terrible challenge. “Split” was spot-on in other ways. Through Dr. Fletcher and Kevin’s alters, “Split” lets us know:

• Different alters can and do have different traits (right or left handedness, IQ, strengths, need for glasses, medical issues and more.)
• Someone with DID can function well in life (Kevin’s system has held a job for 10 years, sees a therapist, prepares food, etc.)
• Alters have a disconcerting sense of lost time that happens when a different alter is “in the light” (a correct expression used in the movie).
• People with DID frequently use the terms “we” or “us” rather than “I” or “me”
• Brain scans show significant differences between the identities; the scans are unique for each alter.
• Protection is an important concept (alters Dennis and Patricia believe they’re the only ones who can protect Kevin while in reality, all of the alters serve the function of protecting the primary identity, each in different ways).
• DID systems have a structure, a place for the alters to be and live when they’re not out in the world (in “Split” it’s very simple, just a room with a chair for each alter, but in reality, the structure is often more complex. In “Twenty-Four Shadows,” the structure is an elaborate blanket fort.

Another surprise is the movie’s subtle acknowledgement of the stigma people living with DID face . Dr. Fletcher’s friend, for example, refers to clients as “those people” and she doesn’t see how Dr. Fletcher can stand to work with them. I was pleased with Dr. Fletcher’s positive response. She countered the “those people” remark and talked about the alters having strengths and other legitimate characteristics. It’s also refreshing Dr. Fletcher doesn’t automatically assume her system of clients is involved in the kidnapping and disappearance of three local teenage girls. She doesn’t equate such an incident with the behavior of someone with DID. Good for her. However, this segues into the less palatable aspect of the film…

Unpleasant Expectations: “Split” is a Thriller

As accurate as some of the movie’s conceptualizations of DID are, this movie is a thriller. Thrillers must scare. They must be real enough to invade our psyche and put us on edge. “Split” is real enough. The bad guy is a real person with a real disorder portrayed, for the most part, in a realistic way. For full fright effect, a thriller must go beyond the real into that which is unthinkable outside of the movie theater. “Split” achieves the real and the unthinkably unreal .

The movie splits from accurate reality when it veers from what DID is to what it isn’t: supernatural. The good news: the kidnapped teenage girls aren’t tormented by the person who is a system of alters. The bad news: the alters are actually elements of a horrible, nasty, scary beast who wants to get them all.

Here’s a counter to the eye-roll, you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me elements. Contrary to what we see in “Split”:

• The person with DID is not a monster, nor does he or she host a monster inside.
• The Incredible Hulk stuff like super-human size, strength and speed really is just the stuff of movies and comic books.
• DID isn’t in the realm of the supernatural.
• People with DID can’t scale walls like salamanders.

Does “Split” Perpetuate Stigma?

I am very curious to learn how others are answering this question. Any movie, show, commercial, book or greeting card that doesn’t get something right is perpetuating misunderstanding, which in turn decreases empathy. That’s stigma.

Therefore, “Split” contributes to the perpetuation of stigma against DID. Kind of. The morphing into the beast is so incredibly and ridiculously unrealistic I wonder if it’s even possible to really increase the stigma against DID. So many aspects of the disorder are portrayed correctly and well and favorably. This movie is a thriller and is meant to thrill and frighten. Since DID isn’t frightening, the movie had to create a monster.

The movie’s end shows us what is dangerous in the real world. A TV news reporter stands at the scene giving a sensationalized, uninformed account of what had occurred, and she blatantly suggested “pure evil.” This is maddening. However, as I think about it, I realize the reporter kept the focus on the supernatural. She didn’t blame mental illness in general or DID in particular. People expect news to be trustworthy. Hopefully we don’t expect movies like thrillers to be fully trustworthy.

I went into “Split” unsure. I don’t love the fact mental illness is used as the basis of a thriller. However, seeing the movie rather than just the trailers left me pleasantly surprised. DID is a disorder that arises as a survival mechanism out of horrendous abuse in childhood. DID is about survival, not destruction. As Dr. Charlie continues to explain to Isaac and his wife Reese in “Twenty-Four Shadows,”

“Just like with an actual starfish, the pieces live. And they grow. And they regenerate—form new identities. But they are still physically part of the original starfish, the ore of the being, the part that’s also a fighter and a survivor.”

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Image via the “Split” Facebook page

With credentials as a Nationally Certified Counselor and personal experience with mental health care, novelist and columnist, Tanya J. Peterson uses writing to increase understanding of and compassion for people living with mental illness. She has written four critically acclaimed, award-winning novels, a self-help book about acceptance and commitment therapy, and she writes extensively for the mental health website HealthyPlace.com. Her HealthyPlace writing includes a weekly column entitled Anxiety-Schmanxiety. Additionally, she writes individual articles about mental health for all ages that appear in various online and print sources. She takes her novel Losing Elizabeth and the accompanying curriculum into high schools and community programs. she also has a monthly radio show entitled Wellbeing & Words. Visit tanyajpeterson.com to learn more about Tanya and find links to connect with her.

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"Split" has very problematic views on psychological disorders — but to explain why, I need to spoil the film's brilliant twist

M. night shyamalan has a doozy of a twist at the end of "split," but does it make mental disorders a punchline, by matthew rozsa.

As the title of this article indicates, everything that follows is a spoiler for "Split."

It looks like "Split" is going to be M. Night Shyamalan's big comeback  and deservedly so. The surprise sequel to the 2000 cult classic "Unbreakable" has the cleverest twist from Shyamalan's entire oeuvre — yes, even better than "The Sixth Sense." That's not only because the plot of "Split" is a perfect fit for the universe of "Unbreakable" but because Shyamalan was able to release a secret sequel in the first place without the general public's discovery until it hit theaters. If you're a fan of "Unbreakable" like me, then it is definitely worth seeing.

At the same time, understanding "Split" in the context of "Unbreakable" helps illustrate exactly what is so problematic about the movie. Whereas "Unbreakable" used comic books as the source material for its supernatural conceits and monsters, "Split" grounds its mythology in the science of psychology — except that mental illnesses, unlike comic books, aren't fictional. There are real people out there who have to live with the countless burdens, seen and unseen, of feeling like a psychological "other," and "Split" further perpetuates harmful stereotypes instead of combating them.

The premise alone is troubling enough: James McAvoy plays Kevin Wendell Crumb, a zookeeper with dissociative identity disorder who kidnaps three teenage girls and later his therapist in order to sacrifice them to one of his multiple personalities, known simply as "The Beast." Right there you have a horror movie that has been sold to the public based on a pernicious prejudice — namely, that of the evil, violent, and otherworldly "crazy person."

Those who have this disorder  are not any more likely than the rest of us to be violent , of course, but viewers will be left with the opposite impression as they watch McAvoy show off his prodigious skills by portraying one creepy "crazy" character after another, after another. (And yes, as almost every critic has agreed, he is highly skillful at doing this.) It doesn't help that another one of Kevin's personalities is a pedophile who forces the girls to dance in various stages of undress, which plays up the prejudice that mentally ill people are more likely than others to be sexual predators.

Indeed, the use of sexual abuse as a plot device speaks to the deeper problematic element in "Split." In "Unbreakable," Samuel L. Jackson's character, Elijah Price, argues that comic book superheroes are simply based on real-life people who happen to have remarkable abilities, such as Bruce Willis' character, David Dunn, being the sole survivor of a train crash that killed every other passenger. In order to fit the "Split" story into the universe of "Unbreakable" Shyamalan presents people who are "broken" from severe psychological trauma as being able to physically enter the next stage of human evolution.

This is why during the film's climax Kevin is transformed into a murderous, cannibalistic beast, complete with a mane of wild hair, super strength, the ability to climb walls and unbreakable skin. Not only does he have dissociative identity disorder but his early childhood traumas have also left him with post-traumatic stress disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder, which, according to the film's logic, add to his "brokenness" and thus his likelihood of entering the next stage of evolution.

This isn't merely a quirk in a convoluted narrative; it's the movie's main contribution to the mythology first established in "Unbreakable." And like so many of Shyamalan's films, it is clear in retrospect that he had been setting this up to happen throughout the film's running time. One of the teenage girls, Casey Cooke (played by Anya Taylor-Joy), is gradually revealed in flashbacks throughout the movie as a sexual assault victim and a cutter so that The Beast ends up sparing her in the end after realizing she is also "broken" and "pure."

Just as the twist in "Unbreakable" hinges on the notion that heroes and villains in comic books usually exist along different points of a spectrum, so, too, does the surprise plot twist in "Split" use psychological atypicality to posit that the good guys and bad guys are really not so different from one another.

Where Shyamalan stumbles is the ham-handed use of mental abnormality as a stand-in for the superpowers of heroes and villains. Juxtaposing real hardships with fictional tropes lends itself to gross oversimplifications. This isn't the first time that Shyamalan has exploited mental illness in this way, as major plot points in films from "The Sixth Sense" and "The Village" to "The Visit" all depend on acts of violence being perpetrated by individuals with psychological disorders. Shyamalan's films reduce the meaning of having any kind of mental health condition to merely having potential for disruptiveness and violence. People with emotional issues are "others" while those who are unaffected are considered "normal" and must figure out a way to deal with them.

The shame of it is that there is a kernel of a progressive idea in "Split." As an autistic person myself, I have repeatedly written that spectrum disorders should be viewed as simply a different way of mental functioning rather than an inherently "unhealthy" or "inferior" one. I would argue that the same thing is true about many other mental health conditions. Although our culture tends to view non-neurotypical behavior as inherently "bad," we need to be culturally retrained to recognize that the only "bad" behavior is that which causes people to harm one another.

If someone is psychologically atypical but can socially function without posing a risk to himself or herself or anyone else, then the burden should fall on members of society to shed any prejudices that might cause them to stigmatize or otherwise wrong that individual. "Split" takes a step in this direction by positing that  "mental sickness" might not always be an actual illness — but then takes two steps back by exploiting moviegoers' fears that people with unusual mental conditions can be unpredictably violent.

I've been a huge fan of "Unbreakable" from the moment Samuel L. Jackson uttered the immortal line, "They called me Mr. Glass." Shyamalan sets up "Split" brilliantly as both a freestanding film and a sequel to "Unbreakable." If the overwhelmingly positive audience response in my theater is any indication, there will likely be a third film in the series and I look forward to seeing how Shyamalan can expand on the themes of the cinematic universe he has created.

I just hope he won't forget about the problems of the real universe as he sets about completing his own.

Matthew Rozsa is a staff writer at Salon. He received a Master's Degree in History from Rutgers-Newark in 2012 and was awarded a science journalism fellowship from the Metcalf Institute in 2022.

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Does The Movie ‘Split’ Portray Dissociative Identity Disorder Accurately? 

What is the dissociative identity disorder (did)  , split and did alters, myths about did in split, a final word .

“Split” is a psychological thriller in which a protagonist with dissociative identity disorder (DID) kidnaps three girls. Does the movie portray DID in a way that is faithful to its complex reality?

While the protagonist, played by James McAvoy, provides a gripping acting performance in the 2016 horror thriller Split directed by M. Night Shyamalan, that performance reveals that the lead character lives with dissociative identity disorder (DID).

Does the movie’s depiction of this complex psychiatric condition compare with reality?

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Dissociative Identity Disorder, or DID for short, is a psychiatric disorder in which an individual develops two or more distinct personalities, called alters, in response to traumatic events.

Each of these alters can have distinct names, voices and mannerisms. Individuals with DID often vacillate between these with scarce recollection of the experiences of each separate personality.

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fifth edition (DSM-5), the go-to source for how psychiatric conditions, there are 5 criteria for a DID diagnosis 

• Co-occurrence of two or more distinct identities or personality states. Each of these must have their own consistent way of perceiving, relating to, and thinking about the environment and self.
• Amnesia or gaps in the recall of everyday activities, personal information, and/or traumatic events.
• Significant distress or trouble functioning in one or more major areas of life as a result of the disturbance.
• The disturbance is not part of any cultural or religious ritual.
• The symptoms experienced are not the outcome of a substance (like erratic behavior and impulsivity following alcohol intoxication) or a general medical condition (such as complex partial seizures).

Until 1994, the disorder was known as multiple personality disorder (which also has its fair share of movie [mis]representation). The name was eventually changed to DID to match with what truly happens in the condition: fragmentation or splintering of one identity, rather than the proliferation or growth of separate individual personalities. 

Given that DID is a complex disorder, it often goes unrecognized. In fact, Dr. Peter Barach, a clinical psychologist from Cleveland Clinic , believes that most mental health professionals are not trained to accurately recognize the disorder. Most patients must go through an average of six to seven rounds of incorrect diagnoses before DID is accurately identified. 

The condition is considered rare, with an estimated 1.5% of the global population living with condition.

Also Read: Can Delusions Be Contagious?

Coming back to Split … the basic premise of the film is that three girls, Claire (Haley Lu Richardson), Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy) and Marcia (Jessica Sula) are abducted by a man named Kevin (James McAvoy). Kevin has DID, and his alters are linked to the kidnappings.

The basics of the DID shown in the movie overlaps with the above definition from the DSM-5.

In the movie, we’re shown that Kevin has 24 different alters inside him. That sounds like a large number, but is it common to have that many alters? It’s difficult to be sure. In a report , Dr Paulette Gillig from Wright State University, noted that, “Typically by the time they are adults, DID patients report up to 16 alters (adolescents report about 24), but most of these will fade quickly once treatment is begun.”

Considering that we’re shown that Kevin has a psychiatrist he visits, his living with all 23 alters might be an exaggeration.

His diagnosis stems from an early childhood history of abuse and abandonment. By developing multiple alters, he is able to shield his mind from the pain induced by years of abuse.

Indeed, there is a strong link between DID and childhood trauma.

Seminal psychologists, including Bowlby, propose that DID may be an attachment disorder, in which a child who has been neglected by their mother (or other primary caregiver) uses dissociation to cope with the overwhelming pain of abandonment. Indeed, this condition developed after Kevin had to endure several years of trauma under the custody of his abusive, obsessive-compulsive mother as a child. 

‘Barry’ in consultation with Kevin’s therapist, Dr. Karen Fletcher

Even though the basics of our contemporary understanding of DID overlap with what’s shown in the movie, the movie is also built on myths of DID.

The first major myth lies in the representation of the alters and DID; the portrayal is stereotypical and villainized. 

Of the 24 alters, we see the “nefarious” ones. There is ‘Barry,’ who seems to share personality traits with Kevin’s mother: both display compulsive cleaning habits, and are cold, temperamental and vindictive.  There is Patricia, a British orderly and polite woman who holds a delusional belief in a mythical entity called ‘The Beast’. ‘The Beast’ is yet another alter who wants to rid the world of people that are ‘impure’ or who have never suffered. And there is ‘Dennis’, the alter that kidnapped the three girls because he enjoys watching young girls dance naked.

Such portrayals feed into the stereotype that disorders such as DID are inherently criminal and dangerous, which only further stigmatizes the disorder. This is contrary to what evidence shows us. Having experienced years of abuse, victims of DID are actually on the receiving end of violence and are less likely to perpetrate it .

Although a 1.5% global prevalence seems low, it is actually on par with the number who are diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

Another common error, on the part of specialists, is the inability to discern DID from other psychiatric disorders, especially schizophrenia. Alters developed by DID patients can often be mistaken as ‘delusions.’ Alters are also often experienced as auditory hallucinations. Auditory hallucinations or ‘hearing voices’ is a cardinal symptom of Schizophrenia, which can lead to erroneous diagnoses.

Apart from portraying the disorder in a negative light, its treatment is also poorly represented, as psychologists Bethany Brand and Danielle Pasko note in their own review of the psychology in the movie. The therapist is shown to be overly invested in Kevin, breaking professional boundaries by going unannounced to Kevin’s home when she suspects that he is in crisis. She also makes a serious error by blindly viewing Kevin as ‘superior’ to the general public due to his battle and survival against years of hardship. Indeed, she muses in the movie, “What if people who’ve been shattered are more, not less?” 

Rather than being overly obsessed with DID patients, DID experts recommend that therapists  set clear boundaries with their patients so that they do not feel threatened. 

Overall, Split is a riveting film that has caught the eye of not just the general audience, but also healthcare professionals. While the movie places DID in the spotlight, it fails to accurately represent the disorder. 

Also Read: How Much Real Psychology Is In The Movie ‘Shutter Island’?

This is exemplified not only by bestowing Kevin’s alters with exaggerated symptoms and villain-like traits, but also by making his therapist overly invested and disrespectful. Furthermore, portraying the kidnapped girls as innocent, helpless victims preyed on by the mentally ill further makes the movie’s portrayal of DID unjust. 

• Dissociative Identity Disorder: What Is It, Symptoms & ....
• http://hdl.handle.net/1794/1448
• Sutrisno, B., & Meilina, M. (2020, September 4). An Analysis Of Dissociative Identity Disoder (Did) Experienced By Kevin In The Movie “Split”. Journal of English Language and Literature (JELL). Sekolah Tinggi Bahasa Asing IEC Jakarta.
• Gillig P. M. (2009). Dissociative identity disorder: a controversial diagnosis. Psychiatry (Edgmont (Pa. : Township)), 6(3), 24–29.
• Webermann, A. R., & Brand, B. L. (2017, January 23). Mental illness and violent behavior: the role of dissociation. Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.

Shreya is a biological science graduate (Master of Science) from Johns Hopkins University. In addition to sharing an interest in biology, she truly enjoys studying psychology. For this reason, she likes to spend her free time watching thrilling psychological documentaries on Netflix. Being a hardcore dog-lover, she also loves pampering her four pet dogs.

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SPLIT MOVIE (2016) – CHARACTER ANALYSIS

The story is about child abuse that results in a suppressed personality in the main character. Split movie’s main plot revolves around a character named Kevin Wendell Crumb, a man suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder , also called Multiple Personality Disorder . While going through a  childhood traumatic experience he is very well aware of his mental condition and he desires to get out of it. He is under an ongoing therapy process facilitated by psychiatrist Dr. Karen Fletcher. He often emails her to attend her individual counseling sessions. During this, she Identifies twenty-three distinct personalities in Kevin. Dr. Fletcher defines all the different roles played by these personalities in a case study of the main character.

Dr. Fletcher explains in Kevin’s case study that sexual and physical exploitation has made him suppressed being. He, being a victim of child abuse and exploitation wants to make this world comfortable for all going through some mental disorders. He apparently depicts his sympathy for others as he always talks about other patients when he attends sessions under Dr. Fletcher’s guidance.

Kevin is depicting the life of a person having a split in personality. The split in his personality was due to his sexual and mental exploitation when he was in his childhood. DID has been defined as a disruption in what Psychologists called Identity Formation Process. Dr. Fletcher has found twenty-four different personalities in Kevin. These personalities were playing different roles and were named as different persons. she has studied that in his mind, these personalities sit in chairs in a room, waiting for ‘Barry’, the dominant personality, to grant them their turn ‘in the light’ (in control). She has also found that Kevin’s physiology changes with each personality.

Among these personalities ‘Hedwig’ is the most suppressed personality. This split personality also depicts the main character’s childhood. When girls interact with him, they find a grown man behaving in a very childish manner. Hedwig told them that he is living in a very pathetic condition. He is considered stupid by Miss Patricia (another female personality) and also not allowed to go out in the light and talk with strangers. Casey tried to trick him to get out of the basement. At last, when she was alone she made her way to his room by sympathizing with him. In his room, she sent a message on the radio to get help from outside. After getting her message a man rescued her out of the cage.

‘Denis’ personality depicts the libido concepts as he obsessed with watching young girls naked. It is clear when he drags Claire to the next room and tries to make her dance naked. She revolts and escapes out of his clutches. It is ‘Barry’s personality that is the dominant other personalities. He regulates the working of all other personalities. He always goes to Dr. Fletcher’s house to attend sessions and talk about the behavior of other personalities. ‘The Beast’ personality is the rebellious side of Kevin’s personality. It is confirmed by Dr. Fletcher that Kevin has been going through continuous suppression and he will definitely have an outburst due to this suppression. She already knows that this outburst may be destructive for him or for people around him that is the main reason why she was denying the existence of the last personality. She intends to keep Kevin under a delusion. But she surrenders her wit when she goes to meet him in his basement.

What happens in the last scenes is very dramatic. When Dr. Fletcher is about to die, she writes the original name of Kevin that can transform him into his real personality. Casey reads his name and shouts it loudly before him while he is approaching near to kill her. The beast personality goes but comes back after some time. During this Kevin’s original personality tells him to kill him with a gun. The Beast personality has developed his skin so hard that neither the gunshot nor the knife can pierce it. He escapes and with force, he molds the cage bars to reach Casey to kill her.

At the last moment, he notices the scars on her body and realizes the pain she has been going through. He leaves her saying that she is the same as him. His last act of kindness is also the proof of his soft side that is living under continuous suppression and the proof of his affection with the people enduring the pain of torture.

Hence, the movie fulfills its aim of the depiction of the life of mentally sick people and exploration of the reasons behind the illness.

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What do you think?

Written by Kritika Bhair

this is really amazing article.. buddy thanks for writing 🙂

Hey! The in depth analysis was too good. You have given proper characteristics and have described it very appropriately. However one of my suggestion would be, try to add some personal touch to your piece. Like, how were you feeling when you were watching it. Your emotional turmoil while watching the film will make it more interesting. Good job buddy! Hoping to read more of your articles.

I have seen this movie. Really a good explanation about it. Worthy. Keep it up

This article served as an amazing review. It was really fun to revisit the entire movie again, this time understanding the mental condition better. However it would have been really great if you could also explain in brief what DID is all about in the article itself.

An amazing review but you could have talked more about Dissociative identity disorder…

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