Puzzle stars Kelly Macdonald, who is best known for her role as Margaret in Boardwalk Empire. Macdonald plays Agnes, a Connecticut Catholic blue-collar housewife who discovers a love for solving puzzles, which draws her into the world outside her door and makes her question different ways of living a full life. Irrfan Khan, whom I have a huge crush on, plays Robert, her puzzle partner, and David Denman, who is best known for playing Roy, Pam’s fiancé, from The Office, plays her husband.
When I saw the previews for this film in the theater, I was sold and knew that I would happily pay full ticket price because even if I’m not into puzzles, I’m a complete nerd and can appreciate someone geeking out on something. Also I love Macdonald and Khan, and any movie that thinks that it is a good idea to give them the lead roles is my kind of movie. I was not disappointed, and it was the perfect antidote to a day that started with a disappointing and jarring film experience.
Puzzle makes a stunning, but timeless first impression that fully immerses us in Agnes’ world then shocks us into realizing how simultaneously normal and horrifying it is. Every life is ruled by its own unspoken rules of how things work, but to be oriented so immediately then contrast it with what we thought was unfolding carries more weight because it is so understated and prosaic, not strident or obvious. The film shows rather than tells how rhetoric clashes with reality in Agnes’ household.
I’ve actually noticed this phenomenon with my guy friends. When we talk about current events and hot button issues, we are all on the same page, but when I see how cavalierly they expect their wives to do certain tasks while the husbands act as individuals, I notice that the wives consider every thing in terms of the family as a whole and usually choose themselves last. Fish don’t know they’re in water. There seems to be a gravity that pulls relationships in a certain direction regardless of ideology, and it takes a lot of energy to escape. There may not be a villain in this movie, but there are people who benefit and lose to varying degrees from this system.
Agnes may be a housewife and have a certain level of innocence in the way that she approaches the world, but she also has a sardonic edge if anyone actually listened to her. Puzzle does an excellent job of using relationships to illustrate who she is versus what they see and project on to her. When she finally is noticed, she is quietly confident and has something to say. She is comfortable with expressing uncertainty even as it simultaneously aggravates her. She does not really change as much as she gets louder and demands notice. Viewers should pay special attention to when she is finally able to rest.
I really love stories in which people come alive and become more themselves, which gives other people permission to behave similarly. I don’t think that it is a coincidence that the movie’s events unfold during Lent, and the denouement occurs during Easter. I adore how Puzzle captures the arbitrary phenomenon of the forbidden. People seem to intuitively police and prevent the most innocuous types of love. I don’t know why people instinctually ridicule and shut down joy instead of celebrate it. I don’t watch The Handmaid’s Tale because it seems redundant when I’m living the prequel, but there is an impromptu interrogation at the dinner table when Agnes departs from her routine even slightly. I also appreciated that this film explores how this policing works for men, and how even when they are encouraging, it can boomerang into discomfort.
I was really rooting for Puzzle not to take a conventional turn in the story, but when it did, it only happens briefly, and the twist didn’t hurt Agnes’ character development as much as I thought that it would because of the ending. I want the story to purely be just about self-discovery, but her actions make sense because she is on the same emotional and psychological threshold as her sons, young men about to leave home and go into the world, so even if I want to see her grow and reconcile her past beliefs with her new self, it was unrealistic for me to expect these choices would look a certain way. Life is usually messier than the way that I would make choices. Not every movie can or should be The Divine Order. Also I’m really happy that the movie’s casting director sees Khan the way that I do.
I do find some reactions to the film disturbing. Some people didn’t like Agnes by the end of Puzzle, especially in reference to the scene alluded to in the prior paragraph, which is a stronger reaction than the characters on screen have to that scenario. There is no leeway or permissible margin of error. I think that while I was disappointed, I also recognized that she was human, but for some people, you are either a saint or awful. Dudes aren’t the only ones with midlife crisis. Most people are not saints, and I bet that includes the people who are critical of Agnes. Eventually perfection becomes exhausting, and inevitably people stumble. The movie allows plenty of room for forgiveness and reconciliation if the characters choose that path. There won’t be a grudge or eternal damnation.
Puzzle’s characters do not adhere to archetypes. Macdonald is a master of natural, quiet performances that demand center stage while leaving room for others to do great work. Denman elicits sympathy by imbuing sensitivity into his performance as the head of the household and owner of the business. Irrfan’s acting style perfecty compliments Macdonald as the world-weary, wealthy man of leisure. His loneliness and gentleness counters what could have come off as sleazy from any other actor. There are plenty of unexpected and off-kilter moments of humor in her awkwardness at finally being treated as someone’ social equal.
I really adored how Puzzle’s other characters enhance the story while still seeming like three-dimensional people that exist fully outside of their relationship with Agnes. The sons’ stories loosely reminded me of Jacob and Esau. I’ve seen and enjoyed Austin Abrams’ work before from Brad’s Status to The Walking Dead, but Bubba Weiler feels like he came out of nowhere prepared to thinly veil his inner turmoil. Weiler can look tortured instantaneously!
I didn’t realize that Puzzle was a remake of an Argentinean film titled Rompecabezas, which does not appear to be available to viewers in the US, but I would be eager to see what the US version kept and changed to accommodate national differences. Until we get the original, the remake is well worth your time if you are familiar with and love the cast or the themes sound interesting to you.