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PUZZLE: Finding Fervor In The Details

PUZZLE: Finding Fervor In The Details

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PUZZLE: Finding Fervor In The Details

In her life, the shy Agnes (Kelly Macdonald) tends to stay within the lines. She’s a housewife, taking care of her two sons and her mechanic husband Louie (David Denman), without taking the time to appreciate herself. From it’s entry, Puzzle shows us her inclinations to patterns and shapes, whether it be putting together a broken plate, or giving thought to a glass cross in church. When she receives a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle for her birthday, however, she’s elated. Something clicks, finally.

It’s a beautiful portrait of one woman’s awakening. Puzzle doesn’t set out to whisk you up with majesty, but instead, it focuses on the tedious tasks, and the moments of inner reflection, as our lives aim to sail by.

A Simple But Effective Drama

As a wife and mother first, she spends her days in housework, preparing meals, and volunteering for her local Catholic church. She has two sons, Ziggy (Bubba Weiler) who works for his father’s business but strives to be a cook and Gabe (Austin Abrams) who is applying to colleges but might want to take a year off to travel instead. In the first scenes she’s preparing for a party, ensuring everyone has food, cleaning up after messes, but in the end – as she carries out a cake, it’s her birthday party. A disheartening thought. This gives us a perfect introduction to her life, and how confined she’s become.

PUZZLE: Finding Fervor In The Details
source: Sony Pictures Classics

Providing us further inclusion into her thought-process, when Agnes receives a new iphone from one of her sons as a gift, she considers it unnecessary. As so many do who fight against the influx of technology, she doesn’t need “google” and would prefer to have it for “emergencies only.” I’m sure you know plenty of people who share a similar sentiment. It is worth noting that as the movie progresses, and outlook shifts, she eventually does google!

Agne’s life is a bit humdrum, and she’s become lodged in her routine. She counts the seconds off before the alarm each morning and doesn’t press her husband in their just-skating-by relationship. She needs a resurgence, and when she quickly finishes her jigsaw puzzle, something spurs within her. Agnes rushes out to find the next challenge, and in doing so she comes across an ad for a puzzle partner.

Enter the offbeat Robert, (Irrfan Khan), an inventor who seems to spend his days inside, watching the horror of the news, and competing in puzzle competitions. He’s unlike anyone she knows, and their interactions bring vibrancy to her otherwise listless days. They begin their practice, and within her sort of mid-life crisis, she builds a deep lie, keeping from her family the trips she makes into New York City twice a week to meet up with Robert. It’s changing her. Her confidence builds, and her lust for life is renewed. Somewhere along the line, Agnes also grows fond of Robert, further complicating the endeavor.

PUZZLE: Finding Fervor In The Details
source: Sony Pictures Classics

While things in her marriage aren’t perfect – there’s a sheen of numbing monotony, and lack of personal consideration – there’s still a foundation that they’ve built, and it’s threatening to crack. As she becomes more invested in the project, things at home begin to teeter.

The Catharsis Is Never Planned

As Agnes, Macdonald finds her first significant leading role, and it is about time. Casted as a frequent supporting character, beginning in Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting, and also in HBO’s Boardwalk Empire starring opposite Steve Buscemi, she’s no stranger to the screen. Puzzle gives her an opportunity to carry a movie, and her refined Agnes is just the ticket.

There’s an aspect of the relationship with Robert that didn’t feel entirely genuine to me. While I loved their scenes together, the progression of their relationship (by end) seemed stilted, and their chemistry at this time harder to accommodate. Since the story is hers, these small complaints don’t hinder the final product. Otherwise, the script, by Oren Moverman and Polly Mann, adapted from Natalia Smirnoff’s original film Rompecabezas, adequately captures the slow changes and shifts in meaning and perspectives, that we tackle.

There’s a gradation to all of the performances, including those with her family as much as Robert. As she opens herself up, Agnes in turn becomes more attuned to her sons. Everything becomes a little brighter and varied. The compelling Irrfan Khan provides a balance to Agnes and her reluctantcy, and early on the two play delectably off one another. Robert seems as in need of Agnes as she does him, as he’s resigned to his own sort of captivity. Without divulging specifics, there’s a choice at Agnes’ feet, and in the end, it really comes down to: who does she want to be?

PUZZLE: Finding Fervor In The Details
source: Sony Pictures Classics

There’s an effervescent score, and a color scheme that slowly breaks out as Agnes slips out from her shell. Director Marc Turtletaub, in only his second time in the feature director’s chair (though he’s had a plethora of producing credits), chose a picture that slows us down, and forces us to pay attention. Puzzle takes us along the creation, through each piece, discarding those that don’t belong, and finding a colorful compromise. It is a mindful construction, weaving together a meaningful character study, while also producing some much-needed moments of mirth. Turtletaub uses a genuinely breathy script and brings the life out of the words, with the help of a terrific cast. None more memorable, than Macdonald.

Conclusion: Puzzle

It’s a moving tale of discovery. At the center is the jigsaw competition, but the film is really about Agnes and a rolling percussion of change and solidarity. After all, our daily routines are much like a puzzle, putting things together – as best we can – until they make sense. It’s a lot of recurrence, and sometimes strategy, but mostly- patience. Macdonald’s deliverance is a peaceful exertion, with a performance that has a subtle but unmistakable arc. She’s delightful.

What did you think? Do you agree? Let us know in the comments below!

Puzzle will be released in the US on July 27, 2018 and the UK on September 7, 2018. For all international release dates, see here.

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