M Night Shyamalan film condemned, labelled 'gross parody' of mental illness.

By Claire Slattery

The new Hollywood blockbuster, Split, by M Night Shyamalan has been condemned by mental health experts for its depiction of mental illness.

In the psychological horror actor James McAvoy plays Kevin, a dangerous man with dissociative identity disorder — which used to be known as split personality.

Kevin kidnaps three teenage girls and holds them captive, as some of his 24 personalities interact with them.

Mental health experts have criticised the film for contributing to stigma around the disorder.

An online mental illness support community in the US called The Mighty penned an open letter to the film’s director, warning of the harm that they say will be done when the film is released.

“Split represents yet another gross parody of us based on fear, ignorance and sensationalism, only much worse,” the letter said.

“The harmful bigotry perpetuated by your horror film will inspire a new wave of revulsion and hatred against plurals and plurality.”

The debate did not escape Mr McAvoy when he was interviewed about the film.

“Just trying to make it real while at the same time trying not to be exploitative of a condition that people live with, at the same time as using it as a fuel to tell a fantastic story and a fantastical story,” he said.

“So you had to walk a fine line.”

Film reinforces false stereotypes: SANE Australia

Mental health group SANE Australia weighed in after receiving at least a dozen complaints about the film on its Stigma Watch page.

Jack Heath, SANE’s chief executive, said there was a significant number of people living with the condition that is depicted in the movie.

“And it’s highly stigmatised already, and I know there’s individuals who’ve spoken to me who are very concerned about this film,” he said.

“Films like this are going to reinforce a false stereotypical notion that people living with complex mental illnesses are inherently dangerous and violent.”

Fincina Hopgood, a lecturer in screen studies at the University of New England and an expert on representations of mental illness in film, said the film was a step backwards when compared to other shows portraying mental illness, like the TV series The United States of Tara and the film Silver Linings Playbook.

“I’m aware of the fact that the director is very fond of the horror genre and is paying homage to that Hitchcock tradition, that is a tradition that lies in the 1960s,” she said.

“And we’re now in the 21st century and we know a lot more about the facts of mental illness and we know a lot more about the facts of mental illness.

“And it’s just disappointing to see a film rehashing very tired old and damaging stereotypes about what it is like to live with mental illness.”

But David Griffiths, a film editor at Heavy Magazine said he disagreed with the complaints.

“I really didn’t have that much of an issue with the way it was depicted,” he said.

“I suffer from anxiety and depression myself so I’m not someone who’s going to be someone who’s going to trivialise a film that makes fun or anything like that of mental illness.

“But I didn’t feel the film did make fun or even make light of mental illness.

“In fact if anything I think it actually might have put mental illness out there as a discussion point for a lot of people.”

This post originally appeared on ABC News.