When the trailer for Split came out, I instantly wanted to see it. The trailer was enticing and the movie itself looked like a complex thriller. I usually do not like horror movies or thrillers in general, but this one seemed particularly interesting.
For those who haven't heard of the movie, it's about a man with dissociative identity disorder, more commonly known as multiple personality disorder. He kidnaps three teenage girls, and his different personalities are shown as they try to escape.
At first, I was intrigued, but then I really began to think.
People with this disorder have been isolated by society and shunned and shamed and are almost always institutionalized or, in extreme cases, pushed to the limit and put in jail. There is little to no respect for people with DID, and this movie will make it much worse.
Throughout film history, people have taken movies seriously to an extreme point. After Jaws came out, the slaughter of thousands of sharks commenced. People became afraid of the creature, with little to no understanding of them. The influence of the movie nearly put sharks on the endangered list.
Split will have the same effect. The movie will misrepresent the disorder and exaggerate the dangers of DID. People will began to fear the illness and further isolate those with the disorder.
This is already a taboo topic, and people have very little understanding of it. Split will not help create a better understanding, but make it worse. I have met people with DID, and they are harmless people, afraid of their illness and desperate to get better.
Having never seen the movie but the trailer several times, I've come to the understanding that the main character has an illness that has never been treated and has reached an extreme point. The vast majority of people withDID never reach this point and there is nothing to fear.
Do not see this movie. Do not give your money to a film as damaging as this. If you're desperate to see the movie, bootleg it. This is something I would generally never encourage, as I believe it's disrespectful to every artist that worked on the project, whether it be a blockbuster or a small indie film. But this movie does not deserve money for exploiting a serious mental illness.
