During our last class in drawing we viewed a very high-contrast black and white film called Persona. Right from the beginning, my mind was boggled, I had no idea what was going on, and I was questioning the sharp black and white images that crossed the screen. I was shocked and puzzled as I viewed one image in particular, the hand that was having a nail hammered into it. Immediately this reminded me of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. I was curious to know what the jamming of the nail into the hand was meant to symbolize, if anything. Along with this scene flashed images of a young boy in a bare room with sheets wrapped perfectly around his bed and small body. Did this boy and his plain room have any connection to the “crucifixion-like” scene? The scene was graphic, however it drew me in because of the intensity of the scene. It was interesting because the sound lacked the reaction of the person having the nail slammed into their hand, unless it was really silence, which I highly doubt. Each scene displayed images that didn’t seem to connect and became more graphic and detailed than the last. It switched between calm scenes not knowing where the person was or why they were there then to scenes that made no sense as far as the actions that were being performed.
As the movie jumped away from these scenes it began to depict the relationship between two women, one being a young actress that has made the decision to go mute, for what reason we are unsure, and the other the nurse that is assigned to take care of the young woman. Sister Alma, the nurse takes Elisabet, the actress, to a cottage on the beach, which is away from home. Due to the fact that Elisabet remains mute the whole time, Sister Alma begins to feel the need to talk to someone and discuss her life, she does not see herself as a talker usually but rather a listener and is slightly thrilled with the idea that someone is there to listen even if she doesn’t respond. She shares with Elisabet erotic stories from her young age, and secrets about things she should or shouldn’t have done after her engagement. Sister Alma begins to admit her sins, revealing her secret life stories, never thinking about the fact that when Elisabet decides to talk, she could reveal any of these things to people. A kind of “secret trust” is instilled between them. The movie takes a somewhat shocking turn in my opinion when Elisabeth talks, insisting that Sister Alma goes to bed. Elisabeth speaks? Is she noticing her own issues in Sister Alma and is looking for someone to share with her so she can listen? This part of the movie brought up many questions in my head about Elisabeth’s intentions of being mute.
Sister Alma becomes frustrated with Elisabeth however when she finds out that Elisabeth is writing letters to the doctor that is in charge of Alma about Alma’s own “mental problems” she becomes enraged. Elisabeth writes in the letter how she thinks Alma is pathetic in a way and how she commits unthinkable sins. When Alma discovers these letters she tries to inflict pain upon Elisabeth by leaving a broken part of her glass on the ground where Elisabeth is free to step on it and hurt herself. I see this part of the movie as Alma’s opportunity for revenge upon Elisabeth and her want to inflict the same pain she is emotionally inflicting on Alma. A scene then occurs where Sister Alma’s fiancé appears and mistakes Elisabeth for Sister Alma. I saw this as a play on the fact that because Sister Alma feels she was disloyal to her fiancé when she basically had intercourse with young boys on the beach, as she describes in one part to Elisabeth, and Elisabeth is the more suitable woman, because she may have no sins.
Again at the end of the film, it returns to the beginning photographs. I felt as though the boy that was tucked tight in bed had something to do with the son that Elisabeth neglects to have interaction with, a possible part of her inability to speak, but what was a question in my mind was what did the other images have to do with the central part of the film. Was it the idea that the viewer was able to understand and view the suffering that was occurring in these images just as Elisabeth felt suffering from the lack of attachment from her family? These intense images throughout the film made me question so many aspects of the relationship between the two women. The angles and tonal ranges of the scenes make the film that much more eye-catching and interesting and kept me glued most of the film. The images were engraved into my head and helped me understand the turmoil between this distressed relationship. The scenes push each sense to the limit especially visual and scatter the thoughts of the viewer making them try to interpret the plot in their own way. The movie still confuses me to this day and I would definitely like to watch it again and see where my mind wanders, because I’m sure each time I watched I would understand something more because there is so much to take in. Bergman’s sense of contrast, shape, and even textures really push the images to a greater understanding and drive the viewers mind to wander in every direction.
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