''Puzzle'' () is a 2010 Argentine

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Natalia Smirnoff Natalia Smirnoff (born 14 May 1972) is an Argentine film director and screenwriter. Her 2010 film '' Rompecabezas'' was nominated for the Golden Bear at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival. Filmography * '' Rompecabezas'' (2010) * ''Loc ...

. It was nominated for the

Golden Bear The Golden Bear () is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival and is, along with the Palme d'Or and the Golden Lion, the most important international film festival award. The bear is the heraldic an ...

at the

60th Berlin International Film Festival The 60th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 11 to 21 February 2010, with Werner Herzog as president of the jury. The opening film of the festival was Chinese director Wang Quan'an's romantic drama '' Apart Together'', in com ...

Plot

A middle-aged housewife, Maria del Carmen (Maria Onetto), suddenly finds she has a gift for assembling puzzles. Unbeknownst to her husband (

Gabriel Goity Gabriel Goity (born c. 1960) is an Argentine theatrical, film and television actor. He was born in the small Argentine town of El Palomar. Biography Goity left Palomar and moved to Buenos Aires with his family. His grandparents in particular ...

) and two college-age sons, she begins practicing for a tournament with a man (

Arturo Goetz Arturo L. Goetz (24 June 1944 – 28 July 2014) was an Argentine film actor. He worked in the cinema of Argentina. He studied for a Doctor of Philosophy degree in economics at Jesus College, Oxford, from 1971 to 1974, and published his findings on ...

) she met through an ad in a puzzle shop. The thrill "of a woman discovering her special gift and rejoicing in it" is just one of the surprises in store for Maria, as she starts to look differently at the pieces of her life, and to try new things.

Cast

* María Onetto * Arturo Goetz * Gabriel Goity * Henny Trayles * Mirta Wons

Reception

Critical reception to the film was mostly positive, according to reviews cited at

IMDb IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

, with the notable exception of V.A. Musetto in the

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates three online sites: NYPost. ...

who said, "If the plot of the Argentine soaper ''Puzzle'' seems familiar, that's because it's nearly identical to the story in the French movie ''

Queen To Play ''Queen to Play'' (original title ''Joueuse'', the feminine form of “player”) is a 2009 French-German film directed by Caroline Bottaro. It is based on the novel ''La Joueuse d’échecs'' by Bertina Henrichs. Synopsis The film stars Sandrin ...

''." Comparing this film to

Lucrecia Martel Lucrecia Martel (born December 14, 1966) is an Argentine film director, screenwriter, and producer whose feature films have frequented Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Toronto, and many other international film festivals. Film scholar Paul Julian Smith ...

's ''The Headless Woman'', in which Maria Onetto starred in 2008,

Stephen Holden Stephen Holden (born July 18, 1941) is an American writer, poet, and music and film critic. Biography Holden earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Yale University in 1963. He worked as a photo editor, staff writer, and eventually be ...

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

said, "Although ''Puzzle'' is a much smaller, less ambitious film without the ominous political subtext of Ms. Martel's masterwork, its story...has implications about sexual inequality in Argentina's middle class." Holden also notes that Smirnoff served as Martel's casting director on the 2008 film.

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...

says, "its conclusion is pleasing and not at all pat, a portrait of a woman who's learned she deserves to keep some things for herself."

American remake

An American version has been shot in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. The film, directed by Marc Turtletaub, stars

Kelly Macdonald Kelly Macdonald (born 23 February 1976) is a Scottish actress. Known for her performances on film and television, she has received various accolades including a BAFTA Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards. Macdona ...

Irrfan Khan Irrfan Khan () (born Sahabzade Irfan Ali Khan; 7 January 196729 April 2020) was an Indian actor who worked in Indian cinema as well as British and American films. Widely regarded as one of the finest actors in world cinema, Khan's career spa ...

, and

David Denman David Denman (born July 25, 1973) is an American actor. He made his film debut in '' The Replacements'' (2000) before his breakout role as Roy Anderson on the NBC sitcom ''The Office'' (2005–2008; 2011–2012), which earned him a Screen Actors ...

, based on a script by

Oren Moverman Oren Moverman (; born July 4, 1966) is an Israeli-American Academy Award-nominated screenwriter, film director, and Emmy Award-winning film producer. He has directed the films '' The Messenger'', ''Rampart'', '' Time Out of Mind'', and '' The Di ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Puzzle 2010 films 2010s Spanish-language films 2010 drama films Films directed by Natalia Smirnoff Argentine drama films 2010s Argentine films Spanish-language drama films