Split (2016 American film)
Second installment in the Unbreakable trilogy.
Split is a 2016 American psychological thriller from M. Night Shyamalan, who wrote, directed, and produced it. The cast includes James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Betty Buckley. This movie serves as the second part of the Unbreakable trilogy and functions as a stealth sequel to the 2000 film Unbreakable. Its story centers on a man with dissociative identity disorder who abducts three teenage girls and holds them captive in a remote underground facility.
Filming started on November 11, 2015, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The movie debuted at Fantastic Fest on September 26, 2016, and hit U.S. theaters on January 20, 2017. Unlike its predecessor, it was released by Universal Pictures rather than Touchstone Pictures, which remained active as a Disney label until 2018. Critics generally gave it positive reviews, with particular praise for McAvoy’s performance and Shyamalan’s direction, though some mental health advocates criticized it for stigmatizing mental illness. Commercially, Split was a hit, earning $278 million worldwide against a $9 million budget. It held the title of Blumhouse Productions’ highest-grossing film until 2023, when Five Nights at Freddy’s surpassed it. The trilogy concluded with the 2019 film Glass, which brought together the casts and characters of both earlier movies.
**Plot**
Outside Philadelphia, three teenage girls—Claire, Marcia, and their classmate Casey—wait in Claire’s father’s car after her birthday party to be driven home. A man kidnaps them and locks them in an underground lair. It emerges that this man has dissociative identity disorder (DID), stemming from childhood abuse and abandonment. He has lived with 23 distinct identities, or alters, for years, aided by his therapist, Dr. Karen Fletcher, who is pleased he has held a steady job. One alter, Barry, has been deciding which personalities get control, recently denying two others—Dennis and Patricia—their turns because Dennis tends to harass young women and Patricia believes in a mysterious 24th alter called the Beast, who plans to eliminate the “impure,” or those who have not suffered.
The captives meet Patricia, who shields them from Dennis to save them for the Beast, and a 9-year-old boy alter named Hedwig, whom Patricia and Dennis manipulate to block out other alters. Flashbacks reveal that Casey herself survived childhood sexual abuse. She tries to psychologically m
- release_year
- 2016
- director
- M. Night Shyamalan
- starring
- James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy, Betty Buckley
- genre
- Psychological thriller
- budget
- $9 million
- box_office
- $278 million worldwide
- distributor
- Universal Pictures
Lore & Background
Principal photography began on November 11, 2015, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The film premiered at Fantastic Fest on September 26, 2016, and was released in the United States on January 20, 2017. Unlike its predecessor, the film was distributed by Universal Pictures instead of Touchstone Pictures, which remained active as a Disney label until 2018. Shyamalan conceived the idea for Split years before writing the screenplay, and the character of Kevin had been in an early draft of Unbreakable. James McAvoy replaced Joaquin Phoenix, who left the project weeks before shooting. The film ends with an uncredited cameo by Bruce Willis as David Dunn from Unbreakable, placing the films in the same narrative universe. Shyamalan funded the film himself, as with The Visit. Reshoots occurred in June 2016. Sterling K. Brown's r
Reader's Guide
Split received generally positive reviews, with critics highly praising McAvoy's performance and welcoming Shyamalan's direction, though some mental health advocates criticized the film for stigmatizing mental illness. It was a commercial success, grossing $278 million worldwide on a $9 million budget, becoming Blumhouse Productions' highest-grossing film until 2023 when Five Nights at Freddy's overtook it. The 2019 film Glass, which combined the casts and characters of both previous films, concluded the trilogy. The film's plot follows a man with 23 distinct alters, including 'Dennis,' 'Patricia,' 'Hedwig,' and the 24th alter 'The Beast,' who displays enhanced strength. The film explores themes of childhood abuse and survival, with Casey's backstory revealing her own abuse. The ending connects to Unbreakable through a diner scene where David Dunn identifies the nickname 'Mr. Glass.'
Did You Know?
- The film is a stealth sequel to Unbreakable (2000) and the second installment in the Unbreakable trilogy.
- James McAvoy replaced Joaquin Phoenix, who left the project a few weeks before shooting began.
- McAvoy broke his hand during a scene where he punched a metal door, missing the soft section he intended to hit.
- The film was distributed by Universal Pictures because Touchstone Pictures went defunct in 2016.
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