Persona

Persona (1966) remains as one of, if not, the greatest film ever made. Bergman executes this masterpiece in such a revolutionary way, both in technical terms (such as editing, camera work) and storytelling wise. Before I get into the story, I’d like to give it up for the Immaculate performances done by Liv Ullmann and Bibi Andersson which I do consider to be some of the best of all time. Through the span of the film, Bergman plays with the atmosphere masterfully and creates some of the most memorable and magical shots in the history of cinema. He also bends very well lighting, only adding even more complexity to the visual storytelling that Persona so heavily requires. With that in mind, it is possible to note that every single scene happens for a reason, every single second matters and the silent moments speak louder than words. Furthermore it is also possible to state that no other movie has been able to create something as this (in theory “simple” concept) the same way. The story flows in a sensical way, often using the sometimes incoherent narrative to its advantage. I’ve once had a person tell me that this movie feels like “dissociation” and I think nothing could describe it better. The movies complexity comes from the breakdown and fragmentation of the narrative, in which the viewer is left confused on whether or not what’s happening is real. Although all of that does seem to be some what negative, it is in fact the strongest evidence of this movie’s uniqueness and underlying genius. I can’t talk about Persona without mentioning how much it takes to understand this movie. I believe there isn’t a wrong answer to what the picture is really about since there are so many purposefully vague and misleading information scattered inside, capturing a much more personal and intimate relationship between you (the viewer) and the film. In my experience, I was able to interpret the story in a very “feel it and understand it” way. I can’t really bring myself to just words to explain the relationships and conflicts inherent between these two incredibly complex women, and that’s my most beloved aspect of the movie. I’d like to finish by saying that I will be rewatching this a lot more times and I might finally be able to describe how I truly feel about it, but for now I’ll stick to calling it the most unique experience I’ve ever had watching a film. Thank you Ingmar Bergman, you’ve made my day.