This is a very strange little movie. The main character, Agnes (Kelly Macdonald), appears sympathetic at first-- a housewife in Connecticut who discovers she has a talent for speeding through jigsaw puzzles. But as the movie progresses, she reveals herself to be not only selfish, particularly about sharing her own emotions and desires, but also distrustful and cruel.
The odd thing is, no other reviewer I've yet read has felt this way, so I feel obliged to offer evidence:
1. She's deceitful. When she discovers her puzzle skill-- which is formidable, her hands don't even pause while she's working a jigsaw puzzle-- she connects with a wealthy man named Robert (Irrfan Khan) and begins commuting twice a week from Connecticut to his townhouse in Manhattan to practice for the national championship. Instead of telling her family-- a husband and two grown sons-- of her new interest, she lies to them. Why? Her husband Louie (David Denman) is an old-fashioned man-of-the-house type, but he's a loyal, loving, hard-working garage owner, and a dedicated family man. Their sons also love her and, when she finally does tell the truth, they encourage her. So she knows her own family so little that she doesn't know they'll support her?
2. She's more housewife than mother. Their son Ziggy (Bubba Weiler) is depressed because he hates working in his father's garage but he doesn't know what he wants to do and claims he's "not good at anything." How does Agnes respond? Does she say, "But remember in school, how you loved math / were so good at chemistry / at languages / at woodworking / at whatever..."? No. She apparently has no idea what her own son is good at or even what he's interested in. It's only when he says he wants to cook that she responds with, first with genuine surprise, then with support.
3. She betrays her husband. When she has sex with her puzzle partner, it is a bolt out of the blue. There was little flirtation and no evidence of passion (not even for jigsaw puzzles, really, though they talk about how it calms their tumultuous thought patterns). The sex happens only once, and Agnes immediately confesses to her husband about her puzzle hobby and puzzle buddy, but her admission shows little respect for him: "I think I'm having an affair," she says. "You THINK you're having an affair?" he says, in tears, devastated.
4. She also betrays her puzzle partner, and in the worst possible way. They actually win the national championship, which elevates them to the international competition in Brussels. He believes they're in love because they both said as much to each other, but when he calls her to say he's booking the ticket, she refuses. She gives up the competition, and him. Never mind his commitment to it. Does she give him a reason? No. Do I know why she backs out? No, I do not. Does she still love him? Did she ever? Who knows.
Even played an actress as engaging and naturalistic as Kelly Macdonald, Agnes is hard to believe as a realistic woman living in the 21st century. There's a jolt in the very first scene: Agnes is shown vacuuming, cooking, etc., preparing her home for a party-- which turns out to be her own birthday party. A housewife through and through, she is more servant/hostess than honoree until it's time for gifts, one of which is the jigsaw puzzle that fuels the plot. Another is a cell phone from her son. A cell phone? Both my companion and I were surprised at seeing modern technology in a movie that we both assumed was taking place in the 1950s.
The spoiler box is checked, but I won't reveal the ending simply because it's so contrived, and almost arbitrary. It does, however, confirm that Agnes is an essentially callous, self-centered woman. The reason for my low rating (3) is that I think the filmmakers intended Agnes to be perceived as exactly the opposite of that. But to sympathize with her requires assuming that women are as downtrodden in 2018 as they were two generations ago. It also requires ignoring Agnes's actual behavior, which strongly suggests she is incapable of trust or love.
The odd thing is, no other reviewer I've yet read has felt this way, so I feel obliged to offer evidence:
1. She's deceitful. When she discovers her puzzle skill-- which is formidable, her hands don't even pause while she's working a jigsaw puzzle-- she connects with a wealthy man named Robert (Irrfan Khan) and begins commuting twice a week from Connecticut to his townhouse in Manhattan to practice for the national championship. Instead of telling her family-- a husband and two grown sons-- of her new interest, she lies to them. Why? Her husband Louie (David Denman) is an old-fashioned man-of-the-house type, but he's a loyal, loving, hard-working garage owner, and a dedicated family man. Their sons also love her and, when she finally does tell the truth, they encourage her. So she knows her own family so little that she doesn't know they'll support her?
2. She's more housewife than mother. Their son Ziggy (Bubba Weiler) is depressed because he hates working in his father's garage but he doesn't know what he wants to do and claims he's "not good at anything." How does Agnes respond? Does she say, "But remember in school, how you loved math / were so good at chemistry / at languages / at woodworking / at whatever..."? No. She apparently has no idea what her own son is good at or even what he's interested in. It's only when he says he wants to cook that she responds with, first with genuine surprise, then with support.
3. She betrays her husband. When she has sex with her puzzle partner, it is a bolt out of the blue. There was little flirtation and no evidence of passion (not even for jigsaw puzzles, really, though they talk about how it calms their tumultuous thought patterns). The sex happens only once, and Agnes immediately confesses to her husband about her puzzle hobby and puzzle buddy, but her admission shows little respect for him: "I think I'm having an affair," she says. "You THINK you're having an affair?" he says, in tears, devastated.
4. She also betrays her puzzle partner, and in the worst possible way. They actually win the national championship, which elevates them to the international competition in Brussels. He believes they're in love because they both said as much to each other, but when he calls her to say he's booking the ticket, she refuses. She gives up the competition, and him. Never mind his commitment to it. Does she give him a reason? No. Do I know why she backs out? No, I do not. Does she still love him? Did she ever? Who knows.
Even played an actress as engaging and naturalistic as Kelly Macdonald, Agnes is hard to believe as a realistic woman living in the 21st century. There's a jolt in the very first scene: Agnes is shown vacuuming, cooking, etc., preparing her home for a party-- which turns out to be her own birthday party. A housewife through and through, she is more servant/hostess than honoree until it's time for gifts, one of which is the jigsaw puzzle that fuels the plot. Another is a cell phone from her son. A cell phone? Both my companion and I were surprised at seeing modern technology in a movie that we both assumed was taking place in the 1950s.
The spoiler box is checked, but I won't reveal the ending simply because it's so contrived, and almost arbitrary. It does, however, confirm that Agnes is an essentially callous, self-centered woman. The reason for my low rating (3) is that I think the filmmakers intended Agnes to be perceived as exactly the opposite of that. But to sympathize with her requires assuming that women are as downtrodden in 2018 as they were two generations ago. It also requires ignoring Agnes's actual behavior, which strongly suggests she is incapable of trust or love.