An intriguing psychological drama by Ingmar Bergman. Persona (1966) follows actress Liv Ullmann as Elisabet Vogler, who collapses during a performance of Elektra and abruptly chooses to stop speaking. She is hospitalized and placed in the care of nurse Alma, played by Bibi Andersson, with whom she retreats to a secluded house by the sea. Gradually, the boundaries between the two women begin to dissolve, and it becomes unclear who is the patient and who is the nurse.
Themes such as motherhood, guilt, abortion, and desire made Persona controversial at the time. Yet precisely through these subjects, and through Bergman’s phenomenal style, the film has proved timeless. Its minimal setting intensifies the performances, which rank among the most iconic in film history. Persona became Bergman’s magnum opus and is one of the favorite films of Hildur Guðnadóttir, associate artist of the Holland Festival.
Persona is part of Hildur's Movie Picks: four films selected by associate artist Hildur Guðnadóttir, screening at EYE. The other films are Joker, Joker:Folie à Deux and Tár.
