Friday, January 20th was a typical girls night out. Driving to a store to buy cheap candy while listening to the Hamilton soundtrack, then going to the movies.
For a couple weeks now, it's been a plan carved in stone to see "SPLIT" as soon as possible. After a week of college assignments, cultural event programs, and late night coffee talks: it was time.
The trailer for "SPLIT" looked awesome. We were all super excited to see how Jame McAvoy could pull off 24 different characters while keeping the integrity of the storyline.
The four of us found seats in the middle of the theater, expecting to have a few serious jump scares or screams of fright. The mood of the movie would definitely set the tone of the audience's reactions right? Everyone was sure to stay quiet and calm until screaming from the unexpected.
What we didn't expect was the humor of the movie. Watching James McAvoy change from character to character was exciting. He focused of specific mannerisms for each identity and it was brilliant to watch! It seemed to amaze everyone in the audience. McAvoy had a way of getting the audience into a sense of ease. In a suspenseful thriller, by now, audiences have learned to stay on edge and wait for the catch. "SPLIT" had a way of making the audience relax.
With every character, the mood of the audience changed. I began to notice that some camera angles were reserved for specific identities. This trained our mind's to realize who McAvoy was portraying at any given time.
The audience learned how to respond to different ticks. This made the progression of the suspense almost seamless. We figured out which identities we cared for and which ones to be wary of.
Overall, there wasn't a huge twist that altered the story or the meaning. All the information was given to the audience as needed. Never was there any confusion about the plot. It was extremely easy to stay focused on the characters. This was a clever way of keeping the audience's attention. Give us the information we need, but let the identity of the character shock.
My biggest takeaway was the meaning behind a specific line. It went something like, "the broken are ready to evolve."
That line stunned me. It was the only moment which altered my view of the story. This one line completely changed how I regarded the brokenness of certain identities. In the broken, there is a strength that wasn't present before the break. The movie highlighted this on purpose. Once broken, one learns, knows, and adapts in a different light, et cetera. Only the ones that have been hurt, know how to carry on and survive. That's what a lot of life is, isn't it? Learning how to survive and thrive with what's been thrown your way.
That's a very philosophical way to end a suspenseful thriller. It was necessary. It forced me to continue to ponder the story hours after I had left the theater. That's what great movies do. They take you on a journey and when it ends, if you're not asking questions and getting some sort of satisfaction, then the movie failed its audience.
I can happily say, that "SPLIT" was a success and a movie worth seeing. Who wouldn't want to watch James McAvoy play a woman and a nine-year-old?
