The Puzzle – Short Film by Davide Melini

The Puzzle
Directed by: Davide Melini

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2lXsNDxLyM[/youtube]

The Puzzle is a 5 minute short film by Italian director, Davide Melini. 5 minutes may be a short time, but Davide packs those minutes with such strong ideas that will leave you wanting more. The official synopsis is as follows:
A woman refuses to give money to her son, despite of his continuous pressure. One night she decides to relax and forget her troubles with her favorite pastime: making puzzle. However, this simple table game hides strange features that can turn her peaceful night into a nightmare.

I must admit, when watching this film I was never bothered with the back story of the mystery caller. The not knowing intrigued me. Obviously this woman was being distressed in some way and just wanted to forget all about it. Throughout the film I was gripped by the music, tension and uneasiness that the film portrayed so well. The shots were interesting to the eye, although one spinning motion with the camera, whilst the lady is sat at the table, could have been scrapped for something a bit less erratic. The short moved quite quickly and was brimming with ideas. I feel the film would benefit from an extended version, with time to develop the ideas and give them more justice, as it did feel a bit rushed. The concepts would be marvellous with a bit more filling to get your teeth into. However, with most shorts playing at festivals, a major requirement tends to be the length which may be why Davide decided to make The Puzzle like he has.

Nevertheless, the film is quite an interesting one with a mysterious slant, that no doubt comes from the filmmaker’s experience working with legendary Giallo director, Dario Argento. Davide’s visuals and haunting music keep you locked under it’s spell until the finale. With the film shot in a day a working on a budget of 300 Euros, I think the team behind The Puzzle can give themselves a pat on the back. Especially as the film has been well received throughout Europe, with it featuring at many of the respected indie film festivals.

2008 – Official Selection at the “Alto Vicentino Film Festival” (Italy)
2008 – Official Selection at the “Amarcort Film Festival” (Italy)
2008 – Official Selection at the “Epizephiry International Film Festival” (Italy)
2008 – Official Selection at the “Alto Volturno Movie Festival” (Italy)
2008 – Official Selection at the “Villanova in Corto Film Festival” (Italy)
2008 – Official Selection at the “Tenebria Film Festival” (Italy)
2008 – Official Selection at the “ToHorror Film Festival” (Italy)
2008 – Official Selection at the “Fantastic Film Festival of the University of Malaga” (Spain)
2008 – Official Selection at the “Huelva Latin American Film Festival” (Spain)
2008 – Official Selection at the “BFF – Beinette Film Festival” (Italy)
2009 – 3^rd Best Film at the “Rome International Film Festival” (Italy)
2009 – Official Selection at the “BFC – Brianza Film Corto” (Italy)
2009 – Official Selection at the “Video Festival di Imperia” (Italy)
2009 – Official Selection at the “Mystfest – Corto Giallo” (Italy)

With his unusual style that is infamous among Italian directors, Davide Melini is definately one to watch.