ROMPECABEZAS (PUZZLE)
Argentina, 2010, 88 minutes, Colour.
Maria Onetto, Gabriel Goity, Arturo Goetz.
Directed by Natalia Smirnoff.
Puzzle is a small Argentinean film, focusing on a fifty-year-old woman. She is at the service of everyone – but relaxes with jigsaw puzzles and she is quite adept. Her husband doesn’t understand this and thinks it a waste of time.
The film focuses on the woman herself, played by Maria Oneto (in Lucrezia Martel’s The Headless Woman) and brings dignity to her performance. She buys another jigsaw puzzle and sees a notice about a tournament. She makes enquiries and joins a middle-aged man in practising for the tournament which, eventually, they win. This has repercussions on her relationship with her husband whom she loves, with her children, and her feelings towards her partner in the puzzle competition.
1.A small film, intimate, feminine?
2.Argentina, Buenos Aires, ordinary life, homes, the tournament, the holiday at the lagoon? The musical score?
3.The title and the focus?
4.Maria, seeing her busy, cooking and serving, her guests, spilling things, putting the plate together again, her own birthday?
5.The family: Juan, busy, loving, offhand, critical, in the shop? Their sons and their plans? Juan and his tai chi and her not understanding it? The decision to sell the property to give the money to their children?
6.The weekend away, Juan’s reaction to the tournament, her reaction to the tai chi? The enjoyment of the weekend?
7.The skills with jigsaw puzzles, the time, buying the new puzzle, the tag, going to the shop and the woman sending the email, the phone call? Meeting Robert? The plan, the practice, the rivals coming and their comments? Her different method? Robert kissing her and her reaction? The book about Egypt, their talk, her reading the book, finally putting it in pride of place?
8.The family and their reaction, the sons and their agreement? The news that she had won, the meal, the trophy and her showing it to them?
9.Enrolling, playing, her initial hesitation, winning, the drink, staying with Robert, the encounter with him, going home? Her love for her husband?
10.The final visit, her decision, not using the ticket but putting it away? Portrait of a middle-aged woman?
