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? 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. “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.