Genre: Comedy
Directed by: Julio Torres
Starring: Julio Torres, Tilda Swinton
Release Date: March 22, 2024
Platform: MAX (currently)
Rating: 4.5/5
First-time director Julio Torres directs and writes PROBLEMISTA, where he creates a wonderful journey of failures and triumphs in this zany and imaginative tale of immigration and bureaucracy. Supported wonderfully by the legendary Tilda Swinton, PROBLEMISTA is sure to bring a smile to audience’s faces and connect on a deeper level to those who can relate to the main character’s immigration struggles.
Alejandro ‘Ale,’ played by Julio Torres, is an aspiring toymaker from El Salvador, living in New York City on a work visa. With little luck, he continually applies for a position with Hasbro for their ‘talent-incubation’ program. Meanwhile, he works at a facility where wealthy clients can freeze their bodies cryogenically, hoping they can one day awake in a better future. When Julio finds himself fired from this job, he is set on a journey to secure a new sponsor for his work visa before he is deported from the United States, and he only has 30 days to accomplish this. By happenstance, he meets Elizabeth, a crazed, tough as nails, technologically challenged older woman, played with so much unhinged humor by Tilda Swinton. Elizabeth offers Ale a job as her assistant, dangling his sponsorship for his work visa in front of him.
Torres imbues Ale with so much patience and likability. Ale walks around with a permanent spring in his step, bouncing with each forward motion. While I can’t relate to the immigrant aspect of the film, the crushing anxiety of the bureaucracy is something I think everyone can understand. I felt so much for Alejandro in those moments. He is ever patient with his situation, handling each roadblock with grace and heart, while his internal world relays how he truly feels through these expressive sequences within Ale’s mind.
The film employs luscious, surrealist visuals, imagining the bureaucracy of American immigration as an impossible labyrinth. Several sequences show Ale’s internal struggle in relation to fairytales and mythology—when he is faced with a difficult phone call with Elizabeth, he envisions her as a hydra in a cave. When he manages to solve one of her problems, chopping off one of the hydra’s vicious heads, three more problems—heads—grow in its place. When Ale resorts to taking odd jobs off Craigslist, it appears to him as a “cave of wonders.”
These surreal sequences are done effortlessly. They have a very handmade feel to them due to the low-budget nature of the film, but they certainly pull their weight in terms of themes and aesthetics, and the hand-crafted look gives the film immense personality and charm. They are a very effective window into Ale’s headspace and are both extremely humorous and relatable.
Throughout the story, we get glimpses into Elizabeth’s backstory as well. Elizabeth is desperate to exhibit her husband’s art to get him the recognition he never received. Swinton does a great job at being a monster but also at being a human being with a difficult past, balancing the two aspects of her character effortlessly.
This is a complex film, but it’s not difficult to watch. It is full of humor, heart, and beauty. Alejandro is an infinitely lovable character, and Julio Torres, being the writer, director, and star, has created a very personal film for the audience to connect to. PROBLEMISTA is a moving film that is highly recommended.
