Split (4½ Stars)

Three teenage girls are kidnapped by a man who calls himself Dennis. They meet him repeatedly as they sit in their locked room, and they realise that he has multiple personalities. As Dennis he's a man, as Patricia he's a woman and as Hedwig he's a nine-year-old boy. Dennis and Patricia are partners in the abduction, but Hedwig is an innocent who could possibly be persuaded to let them escape.

The girls only encounter the three personalities, but we find out in interactions with a psychologist that he has 23 different personalities. His birth name and initial personality is Kevin (Kevin Wendell Crumb), but this personality has been repressed and rarely comes to the surface. The dominant personality was an artistic man called Barry, but he's now been replaced by Dennis and Patricia, who are preparing for the emergence of a 24th personality that they call the Beast.

Of the three girls, Casey (pictured above) is considered socially inept by her two friends. That might be true, but she's the only one who knows how to remain calm under pressure. While the other girls shout and panic, Casey waits for the right moment to escape.

This is an excellent film that is a partial sequel to the 2000 film "Unbreakable", which I need to watch again before the cinema release of "Glass" next month. I may even watch "Split" again. I'll write more about the film next time.

The only major fault of the film, in my eyes, is that the subplot of Casey having been sexually abused by her uncle isn't resolved. This is a deliberate choice, as we see from the fact that the uncle is mentioned at the end of the film. I'm curious why the director/screenwriter made this decision.

Success Rate:  + 28.9

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