Problemista
After breaking out on “Saturday Night Live” with his sketches, Julio Torres has been thought of as a comedian of the surreal. From that point, he went on to co-create and star in the strange horror comedy series “Los Espookys” as Andrés, the deadpan blue haired diva, and in the solo special “My Favorite Shapes by Julio Torres,” where he wears a sparkly silver suit and talks about shapes in between telling jokes. On Instagram, he features Krisha, a chicken nugget toy who argues with him in an ongoing antagonistic friendship.
Understanding “Problemista,” which marks Julio Torres’ first feature film one must be familiar with his previous work: design, toys’ inner lives, surrealism and whimsy all come together here in a race against time, the immigration system and the New York City art scene. The movie was written and directed by Torres himself, he stars as Alejandro, a young man who leaves El Salvador for “the most competitive city in the world” because he wants to make toys there. He pays his way through long-term dreams at Hasbro with short-term situations at the cryogenics facility for artists where Bobby (RZA), a frozen artist who specialized in painting eggs but dreamed bigger; Elizabeth (Tilda Swinton), Bobby’s widow, an incredibly rude and unforgiving art critic who dislikes everyone equally except when it comes to Alejandro she needs someone like him around.
Alejandro is one of those characters played by Torres that feels restrained: quiet even; soft-spokenness seems like part of them except until Elizabeth insults them enough times. He’s realistic enough to know how American immigration works but still imaginative enough to pitch ideas like insincere Barbies or Slinkys disappointing each other on social media while Cabbage Patch Dolls try to keep up appearances. It’s Sombrero Time is what I tried explaining this part of my life to people when they asked. But then they just stared at me blankly until finally asking “but a sombrero is just a hat.” Yeah, exactly! That’s what I’m saying!”
While she is known for her otherworldly presence on screen, Swinton brings a different kind of energy as Elizabeth she puts the “problem” in “Problemista.” They called her hydra because whenever someone attacked her with one question or criticism, she would attack back with like five questions and several angry criticisms. People said she was paranoid but that didn’t bother him, it bothered them more than anything else did about themselves. She holds onto grudges forever against people who do nothing wrong except be near her at some point during their lives together, also, Filemaker Pro is not only outdated but also very clearly not Cadillac of Spreadsheets anyone knows that! Her phone light stays on all night every night because everyone around her knows better than to tell her otherwise after witnessing how much fighting she’d rather do than any listening whatsoever.
Now you know exactly what kind of person Tilda Swinton plays in this movie. After Alejandro gets up for her and stands by her, eventually Alejandro sticks up for her and sticks by her throughout the rest most of his life so far because he sees something in himself through all those years where no one ever saw anything inside him besides empty space waiting around hoping somebody might notice someday somehow somewhere somewhen sometime soon enough already goddammit!!!
On the other hand, narrator Isabella Rossellini only appears in voice here, serenely narrating Alejandro’s journey as her own bemused storyteller self, smoothing over Elizabeth’s biting comments with context.
Alejandro’s mom, Dolores (Catalina Saavedra of Sebastián Silva’s “The Maid”), is a comforting presence in his life she gave him everything he ever wanted as a child, and continues to root for him long after he has moved away as an adult. It is a reality shared by many parents and children, but Dolores and Alejandro also have a creative connection: She introduced him to fantastical designs, and when she’s worried about him, she finds it hard to sculpt. This feels like an homage to Torres’ real mother who being an architect and fashion designer has influenced him too.
Design and playful colors are crucial ingredients to the whimsical feel of “Problemista,” which also nods at surrealistic classics like Jacques Tati’s “PlayTime” or Luis Buñuel’s “The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie.” Torres imagines a world where immigrants are racing against an hourglass to stay in this country or fade away once they’re no longer legally allowed to remain, a metaphysical world where he’s stuck in a never ending escape room trying to figure out his visa issues, or locked inside a tangled web of a Craigslist genie who offers shady job listings between Ikea bookcases and unwanted gym equipment. “Problemista” represents the latest iteration of Torres’ quirky comedy; it rewards those who know what came before (“My Favorite Shapes,” “Los Espookys”), but doesn’t shut out anyone who hasn’t kept up with every in joke. You must be willing to embrace the whimsy, the silly, the creative spirit of “Problemista” otherwise you’ll have no source of light against which Elizabeth can cast her dark wrath.
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