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One more thing I wanted to point out, re: Split being a pretty good film even without the secret at the end. General spoiler warning for below, though most of this is thematic rather than specific:
The way the film builds its parallel storylines in the present and past isn't exactly revolutionary, but the moment they meet is something special. All of Casey's flashbacks seem like backstory, revealing why she is the way she is. And for that purpose they work fine. But when they reach their conclusion, at the same time the primary story reaches its conclusion, we learn that all her trauma actually, in the long run, saves her. Her scars are her salvation.
That's a very powerful message, and it dovetails with two other Shyamalan films. First, the obvious one: Unbreakable. Mr. Glass' whole thing is that he can justify inflicting suffering in the name of saving others, and there are numerous references in that film to the way he's shaped by his own trauma. And given that Kevin essentially worships suffering, it's easy to imagine him doing whatever Elijah Price tells him to in the next film, because few people seem to have suffered more. That's how you know this was a genuine sequel, properly thought-through, and not something tacked onto the end because it seemed cool.
The other connection is with Signs. The entire message of Signs is that what seem like shortcomings, what seem like failures and flaws, end up being part of a larger plan. Merrill can't help but swing. The daughter's finnicky about her water. Et cetera. All the things you think are bad, all the imperfections, make you who you are and lead to something greater in the end. Exact same message here. And it's not dissimilar from The Sixth Sense, given that 90% of the film treats Cole's ability as a curse, before he finally realizes it's a gift.
Split slots right into not only the Unbreakable universe, but right into the same philosophical area as all of Night's best films.
The way the film builds its parallel storylines in the present and past isn't exactly revolutionary, but the moment they meet is something special. All of Casey's flashbacks seem like backstory, revealing why she is the way she is. And for that purpose they work fine. But when they reach their conclusion, at the same time the primary story reaches its conclusion, we learn that all her trauma actually, in the long run, saves her. Her scars are her salvation.
That's a very powerful message, and it dovetails with two other Shyamalan films. First, the obvious one: Unbreakable. Mr. Glass' whole thing is that he can justify inflicting suffering in the name of saving others, and there are numerous references in that film to the way he's shaped by his own trauma. And given that Kevin essentially worships suffering, it's easy to imagine him doing whatever Elijah Price tells him to in the next film, because few people seem to have suffered more. That's how you know this was a genuine sequel, properly thought-through, and not something tacked onto the end because it seemed cool.
The other connection is with Signs. The entire message of Signs is that what seem like shortcomings, what seem like failures and flaws, end up being part of a larger plan. Merrill can't help but swing. The daughter's finnicky about her water. Et cetera. All the things you think are bad, all the imperfections, make you who you are and lead to something greater in the end. Exact same message here. And it's not dissimilar from The Sixth Sense, given that 90% of the film treats Cole's ability as a curse, before he finally realizes it's a gift.
Split slots right into not only the Unbreakable universe, but right into the same philosophical area as all of Night's best films.
WARNING: spoilers below
it was her Uncle who abused her throughout the years, and at the end they said that her Uncle was there to pick her up. As Taylor-Joy is going to be in the next movie, I wonder what she will do? Will she be a part of helping Willis stop Glass and Kevin? Or will she start acting like Kevin and lashing out, particularly at her Uncle? It makes more sense that she would be on the side of good, even though she tried to shoot her Uncle with the shotgun after the first molestation incident. All through Split she tried to escape, help her co-captives, and do right. So I'm hoping for her to be on the side of good like she was.
Anyway, something held me back from posting a review here at MoFo, and I'm glad I did because you nailed the essence of the film better than I could.
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"Miss Jean Louise, Mr. Arthur Radley."
"Miss Jean Louise, Mr. Arthur Radley."
