The Puzzle is a short film from Davide Melini, an up and coming director who is originally from Italy. His latest film comes from Spain and it is like an Argento-esque giallo (Which is kind of funny because he did some Assistant Director work on Argento’s Mother of Tears: The Third Mother.) boiled down into five minutes.

The short film is perhaps a little too short, but in the simple time frame of five minutes Melini sets up and executes a single solid murder. I would talk about the plot more, but there’s only five minutes, and any sort of examination of the short film’s narrative would ruin what is a solid effort.

Needless to say, The Puzzle works well in all aspects of filmmaking. The direction is tight and Melini tells the story straightforward with no fucking around. The tension build up is excellent for such a short piece of work and you just know that something messed up is coming your way. There is very little in the way of dialogue or character development and the film plays out like a quick snapshot of everyday violence with a supernatural twist.

The best part of the film is its sound design. I couldn’t help but notice the simple sound effects and score, which increased the expediency of the film. While it’s not going to become a groundbreaking short film on its own, it certainly shows what Davide Melini is capable of, and that’s what you want a short film to be, a kind of calling card for future job opportunities. Using The Puzzle as a frame of reference, I would say that Melini has a solid future in the horror biz if he finds the right opportunity.

Final Synopsis: This is review is scored with indie/short film rules, so I don’t go into the whole “points lost/points gained” deal. I simply give an overall impression of the work. It’s worth a watch and that’s for sure. Even if you don’t like it (and I can’t think of any horror fan that wouldn’t), it’s only five minutes of your time. The film shows Melini’s skills as a director and it’s worth checking out.

Burning Question: Why didn’t that chick just look at the cover of the box she was working on?

The Puzzle
7/10

You can find a copy of this short film to watch on youtube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2lXsNDxLyM

Tags: 2008, alessandro fornari, cachito noguera, davide melini, indie, latest movie reviews, New Independent Film Reviews, new independent movie reviews, recent1, short film