O Quebra-Cabeça

Living in provincial Connecticut, married to an auto mechanic with two grown sons, Agnes resembles a church mouse, suppressing her own aspirations in order to maintain an ordered household. On the surface, she appears to be a devoted wife and mother, but timidity and low self-esteem have disconnected her from family, friends and herself. A jigsaw puzzle birthday gift leads to Agnes learning she possesses a hidden talent for piecing together these games of fragmented images - and this discovery opens the door to new experiences which force her to question how she's living her life.

Agnes' journey doesn't follow a smooth or conventional path as she struggles to liberate herself from self-inflicted shackles as well as those imposed by others. Kelly McDonald shows her usual excellence, range and subtlety in the lead role, with the script and direction complementing her talents nicely. Although the story's action takes place on a small stage, the characters' are confronted with major issues and upheavals before Agnes is able to figure out what she really wants, and begin the process of realizing it.

This low-key drama has Kelly MacDonald as a timid housewife who goes through a form of self-discovery when she discovers she has a skill in completing jigsaw puzzles.

The main strength of this one is probably in the acting of MacDonald whose character is consistently a little bit strange, yet identifiable. The entire story is from her perspective so the drama does sort of hinge on her performance and it is very good. She is supported well by the others, with Irrfan Khan best as a fellow puzzle maker she hooks up with and develops feelings for. The film is essentially a family drama, with MacDonald as a taken-for-granted housewife who goes through the process of realising that her voice is never heard and building up the confidence to more fully be her own person. Unlike other films about people with unusual competitive skills such as Populaire (2012) (fast typing), there is next to no focus on the competitive nature of the puzzle building; so, there is sadly no montage sequence depicting MacDonald and Khan developing their puzzle-based friendship via a few set-backs, some jigsaw-based comedy antics and ultimately some top-level puzzle solving action. Its not that kind of a film. The puzzle aspect sits in the background and acts as a springboard for all the drama that surrounds it. A good film overall.

The opening scene of the new domestic drama "Puzzle" seems to take place in a bygone era. Come to find out it is present day. The woman we see behaves as if from a time past.

Mousy, repressed, self-conscience and ultra-OCD, Agnes (Kelly Macdonald in an arresting turn) is living a life dedicated to the age old adage "A woman's place is in the home." Everything she does is for someone else-her husband, sons, church, newfound lover. Nary a thought for herself. Hell, she even throws her own birthday party for crissakes. She speaks little, but her remarkably expressive, yet forlorn, face veritably screams out for something different. Something more.

At the aforementioned sad soiree she receives a gift which she later opens alone. It's a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle. Her life will never again be the same. From that point on Agnes embarks upon a journey of the soul. A reawakening of the spirit. The birth of renewed purpose. And, gosh darn it, the girl's finally having herself some flat out fun and games.

Or maybe you're all just very young... the movie didn't cover ground that hasn't been covered before, granted. but that's true of most movies at this point in our species's history. so it comes down to the way it's told. and this one is told sparingly and, at times, poetically and funny. lots of it is bittersweet. and the ending will probably prove unsatisfying to many. but this, all told, is VERY good storytelling. deceptively simple, but rich in substance. and lots is being said without any dialogue. it's an 'art film'. parts reminding me of a hopper painting. obviously not for everyone. it's simple. but it's not FOR the simple...

To define it as a beautiful film seems enough. Without any explanation. Because it is the perfect film about loneliness, family, passion and resurrection of be alive. Because it is defined by splendid acting, great story, superb cinematography. It is one of films who you can fall in love with . A motif - Kelly Macdonald giving one of her best roles. Or the chemistry between her and Irfan Khan. Or just few scenes , absolutely magical. A film about loneliness and freedom. A magnificent one.