“It starts with one piece: a woman, readying her home for a party. Another piece: the party is in full swing, and she’s dutifully attending to everyone, checking in to make sure her husband is having fun. Final piece: she emerges from the kitchen carrying a huge, lit birthday cake, only to have everyone break into song, wishing her a happy birthday. In the minimum of time, Puzzle director Marc Turtletaub and writer Oren Moverman have provided a full picture of the woman – Agnes, played by the extraordinary Kelly Macdonald – and her life. It is so very small.
“But something small changes it. Turtletaub’s film revels in the possibilities of finding something new in a wholly ordinary life. For Agnes, that starts with the literal opening of a birthday gift, one that contains a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle that ignites in her not only a new passion, but also the long-dormant sense that she’s excellent at something. And Agnes is really, really good at puzzling.” - IndieWire