Problemista [Review]
Julio Torres’ feature directorial debut is a hilarious, idiosyncratic, unique wonder.
Julio Torres. Credit: Courtesy of A24
I had the opportunity to attend an early screening of Julio Torres’ Problemista at the opening of the San Diego Latino Film Festival. After being in limbo due to the Writers’ and Actors’ Guild strikes, the film is finally in limited release, with a national rollout to follow. Problemista introduces the unique voice of Julio Torres to the cinema screen.
The film follows Alejandro (Julio Torres), an imaginative twenty-something who immigrates to New York from El Salvador to follow his dream of working in the Hasbro incubator program for toy designers. In the meantime, he works as an archivist at a cryogenics company when he’s callously fired and sent into U.S. Immigration limbo; if he doesn’t find a new sponsor for his visa within 30 days, he’ll be forced to return to El Salvador, shattering any hope of getting his dream job. As he’s on his way out, he has the (mis)fortune of meeting Elizabeth (Tilda Swinton), a terrifying hurricane of chaos, also art critic and wife of Bobby (RZA), the frozen artist who Alejandro was tasked with maintaining. Elizabeth agrees to sponsor Alejandro if he helps her track down her husband’s paintings, get them exhibited, and get them sold.
Julio Torres, Tilda Swinton. Credit: Courtesy of A24
The entire movie has a whimsical, absurd quality, framed through Alejandro’s hopeful, almost child-like naiveté. He looks at the world with wonder despite living in the crushing reality of New York City, depicted in the opening as a place where dreams go to die, represented by a streetside curb heaped with bags of garbage mixed with glittery toys and detritus from childhood. He’s a dreamer, inventing whimsical, unmarketable toys designed to make kids face harsh realities, toys such as a toy car with a flat tire to teach kids about impermanence, or a cellphone for Cabbage Patch Kids that bears anxiety-inducing social media posts.
Contrasting with Torres’ Alejandro, we have Swinton’s Elizabeth. She is terrifying, depicted in Alejandro’s imagination with spiked clothes and red eyes. Her red eyes are a recurring visual motif representing the unknown dangers Alejandro’s protective artist mother (Catalina Saavedra) imagines he will face when away from home. When Alejandro visualizes their arguements, Elizabeth casts a monstrous shadow based on her nickname—the Hydra. With Elizabeth, every problem solved or avoided creates two more: cut off one head and out sprout two.
Tilda Swinton and Julio Torres. Credit: Courtesy of A24
She’s an argument waiting to happen, a perpetually coiled spring ready to unfurl at anyone and everyone should they be so unlucky. While Alejandro is too timid or polite to get into confrontations, Elizabeth is ready to get into it with anyone, usually over wrongs that only she perceives. All customer service representatives are out to get her. Everyone is incompetent or must be on drugs. People are “yelling” at her, when she’s the one that’s on the attack.
Watching the relationship develop between these two characters is a joy. Alejandro is trepidatious, putting up with far more than he should because he worries that Elizabeth’s promise of sponsorship will vanish at her mercurial whim. Regardless, he’s gracious and always in good spirits with her, and we see her armor begin to chip.
Problemista presents all of this visually through Alejandro’s point of view; one of the most striking, funniest qualities of the film is the magical realist touch Torres imbues by letting us see through Alejandro’s eyes and into his imagination, as narrated by the wonderful Isabella Rossellini. A woman vanishes into thin air when her 30 day immigration hourglass runs out. Craigslist (Larry Owens) is a magical genie that lives in a cavern full of secondhand trash and tries to seduce Alejandro with dubious job offers. An impassioned plea with a Bank of America representative and arguments with Elizabeth are framed as fairy tale tests of a hero’s mettle. Many of the film’s funniest moments come from these situations, but you’ll find laughs throughout.
Larry Owens, Julio Torres. Credit: Courtesy of A24
Torres’ film reminded me a little of Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Amelie, a similarly magical experience. Problemista differentiates itself through the much darker reality that Alejandro faces. Despite the absurdity, the situation feels real and the stakes dire. Alejandro is not yet capable of creating sunshine like Amelie does. He needs to part the clouds for himself before he’s able to spread joy to others with his toys.
After seeing Torres’ work on Saturday Night Live, his special My Favorite Shapes, and his HBO show Los Espookys, I’m convinced we’re witnessing a new auteur emerge, with his distinct, unique voice and worldview. He wasn’t originally planning on directing, but Swinton and the film’s producers insisted. I’m glad we got to see him continue to creatively grow and I’m very excited for his next projects.
Problemista is now in limited release, and will expand to theaters nationwide on March 22.
