Product: Persona (1967)
Rating: 3.0
"My words mean nothing to you. People like you can't be reached."
Ingmar Bergman's "Persona" is a fascinating exploration of personal individualism. It is a troubling reminder that an identity that takes a lifetime to form can be lost instantly in a moment of weakness.Actress Elisabeth Vogler (Liv Ullmann) mysteriously stops speaking in the middle of a performance and remains mute from that point on. Her psychiatrist assigns a young nurse named Alma (Bibi Andersson) to look after her and sends them both to a secluded house. The two women have a cordial relationship at the outset but tensions arise when Alma begins to feel psychologically overcome by Elisabeth."Persona" is Bergman's most experimental film. Ideas and questions on the subject of identity and cinema itself are symbolized by an intriguing opening montage and unexpected breaks in the narrative. Complementing the film's unique structure are the stunning performances turned in by Ullmann and Andersson. There is passion and emotion in all of their scenes and they are particularly impressive in the sequence where they discuss Elisabeth's child. "Persona" is one of those films that refuses to conform to filmmaking convention and the end result is a work of cinema that is not only memorable but special as well.