“An individual with different personalities can change their body chemistry with their thoughts.” 

– Dr. Karen Fletcher (portrayed by Betty Buckley)

After great success in the late ’90s and early 2000s, director M. Night Shyamalan has recently struggled to continue his success. The failure of his 2004 film “The Village” sent his career into a dark stage. Shyamalan’s recent film “Split,” however, marks a possible return to the director’s old ways.

“Split” is an ever-changing mix of genres and plot points. The film plays on viewers’ intelligence and knowledge in a self-aware manner. Throughout its entirety, the film throwsa number of codes and signifiers at the viewer to confuse them at each turning point.

This film allows both James McAvoy and Anya Taylor-Joy to deliver strong performances in their respective roles. McAvoy plays Kevin, a man suffering from dissociative identity disorder who takes Taylor-Joy’s character as a captor. Although it seems they are opposite one another in the roles of protagonist and antagonist, that is not the case. Instead, these two characters serve as dual protagonists.

This swerves away from what the trailer’s teaser revealed about the film. The odd character out is therapist Dr. Fletcher, portrayed by Betty Buckley. While I enjoyed her role, I disliked that the film uses Dr. Fletcher to tell the viewer about Kevin’s condition, instead of showing it.

Shyamalan also struggles to establish a dominant tone throughout the film.

For those who enjoyed Shyamalan’s early work, I highly recommend “Split.” If you are not a fan, however, you might prefer something else.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars