Written and Directed by Deborah Kampmeier, Split is the story of a young woman who takes an epic journey to claim her own darkness and sexuality so she can stop putting it into the hands of her abusive lover. When Inanna, a young actress, working as a stripper, becomes obsessed with a mask maker, she sacrifices parts of herself and her life, piece by piece, in order to win his love. At the same time she enters a mythic journey in the theater. One that forces her to face the many abuses endured by women around that world and that blurs her performance, her dreams and her real life and results in a provocative and powerful confrontation that frees her.
Director’s Statement
I have always been interested in exploring the relationship between inner reality and outer reality and the movement between the two. I explored this theme subtly in both Hounddog and Virgin. With SPLIT and the use of myth, theater, masks, and migraines I was able to push the edges of this exploration both visually and thru the performances. So that the expression of magical realism in this film is quite bold but still has an organic relationship to the very raw and intense dysfunctional love story at the center of the film. My years of working with actors has given me the ability to create trust and hold the space for the actors to deliver deep and personal performances. I feel excited to bring to screen the very intimate experience of exploring the shamanistic phenomena of performance. The traveling between worlds and the healing effect of acting out our darkest secrets.
