While the mental divisions of those with dissociative identity disorder have long fascinated and eluded science, it is believed that some can also manifest unique physical attributes for each personality, a cognitive and physiological prism within a single being.Though Kevin (James McAvoy) has evidenced 23 personalities to his trusted psychiatrist, Dr. Fletcher (Betty Buckley), there remains one still submerged who is set to materialize and dominate all the others. Compelled to abduct three teenage girls led by the willful, observant Casey (Anya Taylor-Joy, The Witch), Kevin reaches a war for survival among all of those contained within himas well as everyone around himas the walls between his compartments shatter apart.

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Schizophrenia is often confused with multiple personality disorder. Psychiatrist Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman explains the difference and clears up some common misconceptions of these two mental health conditions.

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SPOILER WARNING! DO NOT read this article if you havent seen Split! M. Night Shyamalan has been talking about the surprise at the end of his new film Split, where David Dunn  Bruce Williss Unbreakable character  is revealed. And it turns out that James McAvoys Split character was actually supposed to appear in that film! Speaking in the above video, Shyamalan explains: This character was from Unbreakable, but I pulled him out of the script. I had a difficult time trying to get the balance right between the three characters  Elijah, David Dunn and him. In the original Unbreakable, he was the antagonist, and they were going to meet. And I couldnt get it right. This is so provocative that he was pulling from this movie that I wanted to make  a very quiet, origin story. Then I got this idea to do a movie as a psychological thriller, then at the end, you realise you were watching an origin story, and everything goes click. Shyamalan goes onto reveal that he struggled with the Willis reveal before settling on the diner scene, and also explains where he is at with the Split/Unbreakable sequel. Which we reckon he should call Unsplittable. Split is currently in cinemas.

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Fan Contributor Nick Nunziata reviews M. Night Shyamalan's latest thriller, Split. Starring James McAvoy and Anya Taylor-Joy the film tells the story of the abduction of three young women by a man with multiple personalities. Showcasing the filmmaker's skill at drawing attention as well as a magnificent leading performance, the film looks to further establish Shayamalan's brand. The film also features an unexpected bonus that will please fans in a really special way.M. Night Shyamalan is back with another bite-sized thriller on the heels of his surprisingly effective The Visit. This time in Split, the auteur tackles the idea of dissociative identity disorder and its ability to make a kidnapping that much more terrifying by way of the multiple personalities interacting with the captives. A trio of teenagers is abducted by a man and put into a subterranean cell with no motive and soon realize that the man who took them is only the tip of the iceberg. Twenty-four distinct personalities live inside him and when each one "steps into the light" a different set of possibilities open up.Almost a year has passed since 10 Cloverfield Lane showed us one way of looking at a capture scenario and luckily Shyamalan has taken a different tack than that terrific film. Split is a thriller but one that plays with a very specific set of rules that may cause audiences to be skeptical, but which makes perfect sense once the final reveal is delivered. The high concept requires the viewer to accept that someone with this condition would be able to juggle those varying personalities but also take on different physical manifestations based upon whom was in the spotlight at a given time.It creates many complexeties for chills and even a few laughs but most importantly it gives James McAvoy a place to really deliver a performance, or rather series of performances, that elevate the material to a much higher level. Normally M. Night Shyamalan is the star of his films, but this is a McAvoy vehicle through and through. The actor immerses himself in a role that allows for so many accents, nuances, and physicalities that it helps smooth over some of the rough spots in the story.There's a ton of exposition here, primarily by way of Betty Buckley's Dr. Fletcher. McAvoy's Kevin is her patient and she's the audience's conduit into his world. While it helps to have a handful of scenes away from the grimy dungeon where the girls are being kept, these scenes seem to serve more as filler than propulsion. It does allow the film's star to shine, but it also takes a lot of the mystique away from his condition. It also allows the director to shoehorn in his customary cameo.Where the film is most effective is when the girls are interacting with their captor. There's a fun sense of uncertainty to it all, as if there's no net. Kevin or one of his many personalities are a delicious wild card and as he alludes to a final personality known as "The Beast" it gets even more intruiging.The end result is a fun diversion of a film that justifies its existence in its final moments. As is the case with many of the director's films there is a twist and for once it's the kind of twist that is more of a gift than anything else, especially to fans of the filmmaker's earlier work. Where the film fails is in fully escalating the tension to a level that makes it a must-see. While it's obvious that Anya Taylor-Joy of The Witch and Morgan fame is the main character, the other two captives are one-dimensional and and afterthought. Joy is quite good here, though saddled with a sexual abuse backstory that fills the margins with unresolved darkness. The flashbacks to the character's past certainly inform her state of mind but it never delivers closure.The film is worth a look for McAvoy's great work, some nice moments of terror, and the context Split takes within Shyamalan's universe. Something tells me this movie will have newfound value in the not too distant future. 

What is 'Split'?

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Director M. Night Shyamalan unpacks his techniques in capturing Leanne's paranoia as she takes her first steps outside of the Turner brownstone. Don't miss this moment in the Servant Season 3 premiere, now streaming on Apple TV+ https://apple.co/_Servant

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Up Next

With M. Night Shyamalans new thriller Split hitting screens this week, we sat down with the films star  James McAvoy  to discuss playing Kevin, a complicated character who suffers from a psychological disorder that means he has 23 distinct personalities, with the plot revolving around the emergence of a terrible 24th.The disorder that this group of people live with explains McAvoy Is D.I.D.  Disociative Identity Disorder  a condition that means theres a group of people sharing one body. So you have one person to begin with, and at a point early in their life, they suffer trauma that is generally repeated, and inescapable. The way that that the person deals with it is to fragment. Is to say Alright, what part of me can maybe help me through this? And instead of just utilising that attribute or personality trait, they personify it.A specific personality  called Hedwig  helps Kevin through that trauma.One of the children that I play in this film would take his place. So Hedwig took that suffering, took that beating, took that abuse. And the reason why it was Headwig in particular is because Hedwig is all about naivety and joy and looking for the fun in life, and he took that for the rest of Kevin. And then as Kevin went through the rest of his life, there were more and more and more parts of his personality that were personified and took on their own lives if you like. So ultimately he ends up having 23 personalities.McAvoy goes onto explain which personalities came naturally in the above video, and how one could turn from happy to malevolent in the blink of an eye, while Shyamalan talks about the challenges involved in directing such a complicated character. Split is in cinemas this Friday, January 20.

Jan 17, 2017

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