Written by Polly Mann and Oren Moverman

Directed by Marc Turtletaub

SYNOPSIS

A quiet housewife discovers a gift for jigsaw puzzles and it triggers desire to change her life for the better.

HAIKU REVIEW

Small But Expressive;

With Well-Written Characters;

Quiet And Subdued.

RATING:

Watch in Theater Immediately

**Pickup at Redbox Upon Release**

Stream on Netflix/Watch on Cable

Don’t Waste Your Time

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS:

This is the exact kind of quiet, unassuming indie drama that tends to resonate with me and seventy year old white ladies. It’s a story about someone who discovers herself, at long last, and can’t let go of the idea of who she would like to be and who she needs to stop pretending to be. Kelly Macdonald is wonderful, as usual, playing a quaint, churchgoing wife who has always dedicated herself to the men in her life. Her marriage isn’t exactly loveless, but it’s certainly unfulfilling as her husband subtly denies her a personality of her own. Irrfan Khan is also very good in his role as her puzzle partner and facilitator of big changes in the life of Agnes. David Denman has many layers as the husband in the story, and peels back more and more of them as the film advances. The metaphor is on clear display, as they use puzzles to piece together their own lives until a perfect picture begins to appear. The frames are carefully arranged but convey a sense of plain, ordinary life that Agnes feels so trapped within. There is a shot in the final scene that is as breathtaking for the audience as it must have felt for Agnes, having found a sense of freedom at last. There may not be much about this film they the average viewer would find remarkable, but it checks a lot of boxes, doing many things right and making for an enjoyable experience.