This is my first foray into Ingmar Bergman's work, so please bear with me if you think I need to see his other films in order to understand this one. Trust me, I think that, too.

Persona is a cinematic piece of art in almost every sense. And much like a Dalí or a Picasso, this work does not lend itself to a single, correct interpretation. So anything I say here could be contradicted by someone else and they would be no more correct or incorrect than I am. Similar to some of the works of Lynch or Altman, Persona is impressionistic in its content. The viewer is given a sense of a story, a sense of a plot that drives the movie ahead. But the sense is fuzzy and fleeting, the viewer's footing is always a bit uncertain.

As a piece of art, Bergman's Persona is wonderful. I haven't felt a stronger sense of dread and uneasiness than when I watched certain moments of this movie. But there were also a sense of tenderness, a sense of sorrow, a sense of helplessness, and a sense of shock at other points. Persona is a truly provocative film and extremely successful at eliciting emotions from the viewer.

But as a form of entertainment, Persona falters. Not all movies should be pleasant or enjoyable; there is a place in our art for tragedies and bleak dramas. But film should be understandable, comprehensible, relatable if I am to appreciate my time spent with it. Confusion is a tough feeling to work through as a film-viewer. Instead of enjoying the film's story or the wonderful acting in it, I was struggling to find meaning in the action on the screen. And while I appreciate a good challenge from time to time, I don't appreciate it as much in my movies.

If you enjoy the best poetry by e.e. cummings or Gertrude Stein, then you will most likely enjoy Persona. But if, like me, you better enjoy more rhythmic and structured work like that of Virgil or Yeats, then this film may leave you a bit wanting of a more coherent story. But as it is, I appreciate this film. I appreciate the tremendous performances by Bibi Andersson and Liv Ullmann. I appreciate the beautiful cinematography and staging (the scene in which the ghostly Elisabet enters Alma's room at night was a sight to behold). I appreciate the eerie score and sound design.

But I don't love it.