Puzzle (15)

An unappreciated housewife discovers she has a hidden talent for puzzles and embarks on a journey of self-discovery, in this beautifully told story about having the confidence to piece yourself back together in a brand new way. From director Marc Turtletaub, who brought us Little Miss Sunshine and Loving, starring Kelly Macdonald and Irrfan Khan.

Agnes (Kelly Macdonald) is typical New Jersey suburban housewife. She has a semi-interested husband (David Denman), uninterested teenagers, and a house full of rooms that she moves through from morning to night. She cooks. She cleans. She cares for her family.

“Every day. The same thing. The same thing. Every day.”

But beneath Agnes’ polite smile, a hurricane of frustration and boredom is brewing, threatening to whisk her away into a storm of unquenchable sadness. Then she receives a birthday gift that will change her life forever: a puzzle.

One bored afternoon, Agnes puts together the 1,000 pieces at speed – twice. Invigorated by her newfound skill, she travels into the city to buy another puzzle and is met with an opportunity she can’t ignore.

A simple sign in a shop window reads “Champion desperately seeking puzzle partner” and leads her to Robert (Irrfan Khan), a lonely puzzle-enthusiast who needs someone to help him in competitions.

As the two unlikely friends work with each other to put the pieces together, Agnes begins find the gaps within herself – and she starts to learn how to fill them.

Based on Rompecabezas (Puzzle), the 2010 Argentine film directed by Natalia Smirnoff, Puzzle tells the story of a woman who decides to take the pieces of her life into her own hands and put them together in a better way. Kelly Macdonald (Goodbye Christopher Robin) has received critical acclaim in her role as Agnes, while Irrfan Khan (Inferno) and David Denman (Logan Lucky) play the men in her life.

Cert: 15

Running time: 1hr 43mins