PUZZLE **** Switzerland 2019 Dir: Vincenzo Aiello. 4 mins
Late at night, a young woman (Marie Wyler) finds a random piece of jigsaw puzzle in her home – followed by other pieces scattered around her home. The completion of it seems to portend her fate in this superbly constructed short from director Vincenzo Aiello and writer Damien Mazza. Fabien Guerra’s original score builds to ever more alarming levels as anticipation builds for the final puzzle piece to be put in place. There’s no dialogue, but Wyler’s expressive, reactive performance holds it together superbly. There are no explanations or extraneous moments / characters, so it’s all about good old-fashioned dread as the nerve-wracking build up pays off with a splendidly unnerving last shot.
Review by Steven West