Persona

(Ingmar Bergman, Sweden 1966, 83 min., 35mm, Swedish w/subtitles)

Bergman Centennial. Bergman’s once and future muses star together in this psychological drama examining the nature of identity. A young actress, Elisabet (Liv Ullmann), has suddenly stopped moving and speaking, leading to a stay in a hospital. Believing that this is an illness of the mind, the doctors charge a nurse, Alma (Bibi Andersson), with taking Elisabet to a remote cottage and caring for her there. At the cottage, Elisabet seems to improve, but Alma feels the need to fill her silence and begins to reveal secrets about herself. As the tension rises between the two women, they start to mirror each other to the point where even Elisabet’s husband doesn’t know the difference, leading to a shocking and radical finale.