THE PUZZLE

A woman receives an unpleasant phone call from her son, but she manages to get rid of him in an explicit and brutal way. To relax, the woman decides to prepare a herbal tea and complete the puzzle that lies unfinished on her table. But what was supposed to be a simple pastime turns into an unsettling game with fate. The underbrush of independent productions has found a new talented author, Davide Melini. The Roman filmmaker, before arriving at "The Puzzle", already had to his credit the screenplay and direction of two horror-thriller short films ("Amore Estremo" and "La Sceneggiatura"), as well as two experiences as an assistant director for Roberto Cimpanelli ("Baciami piccina") and Dario Argento ("La Terza Madre") and numerous participations as an assistant director in Spanish independent productions. "The Puzzle" was produced by the Spanish "73140323 Producciones Cinematográficas" and directed in a single day, using two actors and one location. Despite the scarcity of means and time, Melini managed to make a very dignified short film that, in just 5 minutes, tells a fascinating story and is even able to surprise the viewer with an ambiguous twist. "The Puzzle" has the structure and flavor of a thriller, so there is an air of tension given by the oppressive atmosphere and the feeling that something must continuously happen, and yet, in those few minutes, some paranormal moments have been successfully inserted, a small reflection on the mocking fate that we probably already have written somewhere. Thus, "The Puzzle" easily ventures into the horror genre, mixing Shyamalanian atmospheres with the aesthetics of a Darren Lynn Bousman. What convinces the most in this short film is the technical and aesthetic care that shines through every shot. The direction is very attentive to details and is supported by excellent photography, curated by Ezekiel Montes, which is very close to the Italian Gothic of the 60s. The hyper-kinetic editing, which sometimes reminds that used by Wan and Bousman in the "Saw" saga, is effective to underline the frenzy of the narration and the anxiety for the wait. In short, like a real puzzle, Melini's third work does not deviate from the rule of giving continuous small clues and conferring a complete picture of the story only after the last piece has been fitted, even if not all the pieces seem to fit perfectly in this mocking game. To watch.