'Persona' an unbelievable experience that I don't quite understand

Last night my girlfriend and I watched a gorgeous blu-ray edition of Ingmar Bergman's 1966 masterpiece Persona.

Normally, when we watch a film together we pause for bits of commentary and little asides but we mostly watched this audacious film in stunned silence.

I usually hate when I can't totally comprehend a film. Don't get me wrong, I like a movie that challenges me and leaves unanswered questions, but I don't like to be totally in the dark.

It makes me feel stupid. And I hate feeling stupid. That said, I do not totally understand Persona.

It's a movie that tantalizes you and almost explains itself, and then pulls the rug out from you over and over again. It definitely has a coherent plot, and it features phenomenal performances from its lead actresses (Bibi Andersson and Liv Ullman), but it is ultimately a mystery.

For the uninitiated, the film is largely a two-person piece. One is a stage actress (Ullman) who has either lost the ability to speak or, more likely, has chosen to stop communicating for some unknown reason. The other is a neurotic and verbose nurse played to perfection by Andersson. The nurse essentially is babysitting the actress at the vacation home of her superior during which time the two women bond, clash and seem to even switch identities.

If that wasn't fertile enough ground for a narrative, Bergman sneaks in all of these meta moments calling attention to that fact that you -- the audience -- are watching a film and are an active participant in what is taking place on screen. It's enough to make your head hurt, but in my case it made my heart swoon.

Liv Ullman in Persona

This is a beautiful and at times quite creepy film, one that haunts you long after its finished. It's not even 90 minutes long and yet it has more ideas than many films twice its length. It's my favorite kind of movie to feast on, precisely because there is so much to chew on.

The movie delves into sex, womanhood, motherhood, death, war, friendship and the nature of the self. The movie is aptly named because it's as much about the way we perceive ourselves as it is about the way we are perceived by others.

I first saw this film back when I was a film undergraduate student and I didn't "get it" then and in some ways, I don't "get it" now. But I love it because I'm going to keep on trying to "get it" for the rest of my life.