Persona

I love Ingmar Bergman films. They are special and unique. They have a timelessness and sanctity about them. They are gentle yet vicious, loving yet destructive. Small studies of life. I love black and white films and find that, quite often, modern day directors place little emphasis on sound or shading. Shadows are wonderful things.

Persona is one of his most thoughtful films:

"A young nurse, Alma, is put in charge of Elisabeth Vogler: an actress who is seemingly healthy in all respects, but will not talk. As they spend time together, Alma speaks to Elisabeth constantly, never receiving any answer. Alma eventually confesses her secrets to a seemingly sympathetic Elisabeth and finds that her own personality is being submerged into Elisabeth's persona."



There are many interpretations of this film. Most seem to centre around the 2 main characters becoming closer to each other and Alma becoming Elizabeth. Personally, I feel that they are actually one-in-the-same and represent both extremes of Elizabeth's psyche. Its a character study, not of one woman, but of humanity in general. Do we speak of such atrocities or do we carry on pretending they didn't happen?

Bergman's films all seem to be a study of the human psyche and mind. About loss and possession. They question every central tenet that humankind holds dear. There are very few directors who can match him in this (Polanski being one of them).

This is a film about nothing and everything.