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For what it intends to
pull off, director Davide Melini's short thriller is entertaining and
bold in that it can tell a story in under five minutes and still feel
complete and spooky. There isn't a lot of explanation toward the puzzle
or why the puzzle is so prophetic, but then I doubt the puzzle is
supposed to be taken as a literal plot device. Instead it's supposed to
be more a metaphor for what the woman in this tale realized much too
late. Besides, if we saw our fates, could we do anything about it?
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In our
attempts to change fate would we instead just walk right in
to it unwillingly? Cachito Noguera plays an old woman
sitting at home one night who gets a call from her son. She
angrily refuses to give him anymore of her money and hangs
up on him. Choosing to wind down, she sits to complete a
puzzle of hers, and in the midst of making herself a cup of
tea realizes that the puzzle is telling her something. As it
is completed her revelation is much too late. |
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"The Puzzle" is a
speedily paced and quickly told film that moves steadily through its
story and feels rather complete for such a short narrative. Melini's
direction is stark and rich with the mood and atmosphere being set
successfully with this small world involving only two characters and
destiny knocking at this old woman's door. It's not really supposed to
be more than what it is: a short and sweet thriller that touches on that
old chestnut of prophecy and death, and I enjoyed it for what it set out
to do from minute one. Melini is a sharp director and I want to see what
he can do with more material.
Italian director David
Melini's short horror thriller is a nice and entertaining little
experimentation in destiny and prophecy, and while I would have loved
something more than five minutes, the intent is to challenge the
storyteller, and it works on many levels as a spooky story with a wicked
twist ending.
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