Superhuman

I'm a music teacher, but I didn't always consider music my calling. Some of the professions I wanted to pursue (in no particular order) were:

Writer
Actor
Singer
English Teacher
Psychologist

The movie Split, starring James McAvoy, appealed to the version of me that would have chosen to be a psychologist. I've always been fascinated by the brain's ability to protect itself. From something as simple as justification for questionable behavior, to denial of reality, to projection, the brain really works overtime to ensure the survival (if not the thriving) of the human person. This can be a double-edged sword.

In the movie, James McAvoy's character, Kevin, has Dissociative Identity Disorder, more commonly known as split personality. In most instances of multiple personality disorders, a person has two to four distinct and separate personalities. Our antagonist, Kevin, has 23. 

Dissociative Identity Disorder, according to the National Institute of Health, is primarily caused by extreme childhood trauma, usually experienced before the age of 5. To protect the brain from trauma that the child is unable to cope with, the brain creates a new personality that can protect the child. Different "alters" may be created by the brain to cope with different situations. It's a complex and incredible disorder. While it does the job of protecting the child, it creates a host of problems from memory loss and sleep deprivation, to self-harm and suicidal ideations.

Writer/producer M.Night Shyamalan posits a different theory for the movie world to ponder (which is based in some science, but also elaborated on for cinematic effect) that I will let others discover for themselves by watching the movie. 

Overall, McAvoy does an incredible job creating not only terror, but also sympathy, for his villain and the movie lets us as the audience dive into great questions about mental health and surviving trauma.