The BFI are currently holding a “Bergman Season”, in which they screen films of the great Swedish director Ingmar Bergman. Under-25 tickets are £3, which is a bargain not to be missed. I managed to see one of Bergman’s most celebrated films, Persona. Released in 1966, it tells the story of an actress (Bibi Andersson) who abruptly decides to become mute and is subsequently cared for by a young nurse (Liv Ullmann).
The film opens with one of the most baffling montages ever made, which seemingly has nothing to do with the subsequent plot. Even if you can’t parse its meaning, Bergman’s mastery of imagery is such that it is instantly affecting in a disturbing way. It feels more deeply transgressive than almost anything that has been put on film since.
Once the plot does begin, Andersson and Ullmann’s performances take over. They are astonishing. There are moments where you want to hold your breath to avoid disturbing the quiet tension between the two, and there are moments of pure emotional rawness from which it is impossible to look away.
Though the actors carry much of Persona, it’s a director’s film. Bergman mostly avoids mid shots (he considered them boring) and shoots in intense closeup or from afar. The black-and-white photography is often high-contrast, with small lights and large shadows, but in some key moments it is deliriously soft.
This is a film which uses its technical brilliance to present complex ideas. Bergman plays with the audience’s trust of what we are seeing; he questions the power of language; he questions the sincerity of our everyday lives; he questions the purpose and meaning of art. Persona is a head-scratcher in the best way: it infects the mind with its ideas.
Ingmar Bergman was a master. His filmmaking language is unique and confident; his artistic visions are fascinating. I urge you to dive into the BFI’s Bergman Season. Films like Persona are so rich that they deserve to be seen properly: projected beautifully on the big screen.
