Problemista

Problemista
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Julio Torres
Written by	Julio Torres
Produced by	Julio Torres Dave McCary Ali Herting Emma Stone
Starring	Tilda Swinton Julio Torres RZA Greta Lee Catalina Saavedra James Scully
Cinematography	Fredrik Wenzel
Edited by	Sara Shaw Jacob Schulsinger
Music by	Robert Ouyang Rusli
Production company	Fruit Tree
Distributed by	A24
Release dates	March 14, 2023 (2023-03-14) (SXSW) March 1, 2024 (2024-03-01) (United States)
Running time	105 minutes
Country	United States
Languages	English Spanish
Box office	$2.7 million

Problemista is a 2023 American surrealist comedy-drama film written, directed, and co-produced by Julio Torres in his feature directorial debut. The film stars Tilda Swinton, Torres, RZA, Greta Lee, Catalina Saavedra, James Scully, and Isabella Rossellini. Its plot follows a struggling aspiring toy designer from El Salvador who starts working for an erratic art-world outcast in New York City, hoping to stay in the country and realize his dream before his work visa expires.

Problemista had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 14, 2023, and was released in the United States by A24 on March 1, 2024.

Plot

During Alejandro's childhood in El Salvador, he lives with his mother, Dolores who is an artist. Dolores encourages Alejandro's imagination, and together they create various imaginative projects. However, Dolores worries about Alejandro and is haunted by a recurring dream in which he ventures into a mysterious cave with a monster inside, symbolizing his journey into the unknown—something she has tried to protect him from.

As an adult, Alejandro lives in Bushwick, New York City, and struggles to achieve his dream to be a toy maker at Hasbro. He applies to Hasbro's internship program, submitting creative ideas such as a Barbie with crossed fingers behind her back and his personal favorite, Cabbage Patch Kids with smartphones. However, he receives an automated rejection email.

Left with few options, Alejandro takes a job as an archivist at FreezeCorp, a company that cryogenically freezes people despite lacking the technology to do so. Alejandro is tasked with monitoring the frozen body of the artist Bobby, known for his large-scale egg portraits, who froze himself for future success. Inspired by Bobby’s ambition, he starts brainstorming a new toy concept. Distracted by texting his mom, he accidently unplugs the backup generator for Bobby’s cryogenic machine. Alejandro is escorted out by a receptionist and encounters Bobby’s eccentric wife, Elizabeth, who struggles with FreezeCorp’s repeated fee increases. The receptionist reports Alejandro to his boss, Sharon, resulting in his termination. Facing deportation, Alejandro has 30 days to find a new sponsor for his work visa. His anxiety about staying in the country and making enough money to survive is depicted through two visual metaphors: an hourglass amidst a room full of other hourglasses, and an infinite staircase he climbs, where the key he needs is behind endless locked doors.

Elizabeth downgrades Bobby's care and has to remove some of his belongings when she encounters Alejandro who agrees to help her move the items, after being fired. Inspired to exhibit Bobby's work and hires Alejandro as a freelance assistant, promising sponsorship upon completion. Alejandro is tasked with collecting thirteen of Bobby's egg paintings while navigating Elizabeth's volatile temper. However, immigration restrictions prevent him from earning payment without a sponsor, forcing him to take cash-based, precarious jobs found on an embodied Craigslist to cover the high visa fees. Despite some success in earning money, Alejandro does not receive payment for his job as a hair product salesperson. Meanwhile, Dolores struggles with not being able to help her son.

Elizabeth introduces another assistant, Bingham, who was forced to take the job by his father after wrecking his car. Bingham’s presence jeopardizes Alejandro's position. Despite Alejandro's efforts, Bingham, who does not respect Elizabeth, shines in her eyes. Alejandro and Elizabeth locate twelve of the thirteen eggs, but Bobby's final egg painting is possessed by Dalia, a former student artist and mistress of Bobby. Elizabeth, jealous of Dalia's relationship with Bobby, wrote a scathing review of Dalia's work, causing the downfall of her artistic career. Alejandro writes a heartfelt apology on Elizabeth's behalf, leading to Dalia's tearful acceptance and release of the painting. Elizabeth had expected Alejandro to update her filing system. However, when he fails to complete it, she angrily calls him and demands an overnight shipment of the physical copies. Unable to pay for the shipping fees, Alejandro discovers that his bank account has a negative balance. After an argument with the bank representative that was realistic in content and dialogue but fantastically portrayed on screen, Alejandro grows more desperate. He sublets his room and accepts a job on Craigslist that he had previously turned down, performing for a cleaning boy fetishist. He also discovers that Hasbro has profited from one of his toy designs.

Alejandro is offered a job as a paralegal and Spanish translator at the immigration office but turns it down once he learns that he has secured a solo show for Bobby at a Roosevelt Island gallery. Elizabeth initially derides the gallery for lacking notoriety. However, Alejandro stands up to her in a dream-like battle between dragon and knight, making her realize that they both share the same ambition and devotion to art, while Bingham does not care about Bobby's legacy. Elizabeth agrees to the exhibition. On the way there, while crossing between Manhattan and Roosevelt Island in a cable car, they realize they have forgotten a painting. Elizabeth demands the conductor to turn around. They retrieve the egg and arrive at the gallery, only to be disappointed that they are afforded a single wall to display Bobby's art. Despite not getting an art show, Elizabeth and Alejandro successfully sell all of Bobby's paintings to the gallery. In a moment of vulnerability, Elizabeth shows her gratitude and loneliness to Alejandro and Alejandro commends her bravery and perseverance. Alejandro calls his mother to share their success. She confesses that by trying to protect him through her creations, she inadvertently pushed him away and became creatively stuck. As she waits for his response, Elizabeth interrupts with a shocking voice message. She has decided to freeze herself to remain with Bobby in the future. As the message plays, Alejandro rushes to her apartment and sees her being carried away by FreezeCorp. Elizabeth thanks Alejandro, expresses that she will miss him, and hopes the government will continue to uphold her sponsorship of him despite her absence. She reveals the name of the executive who stole his toy idea and urges him to go to Hasbro, stand up for himself, and pursue his dream job.

Empowered by Elizabeth's message, Alejandro goes to Hasbro and confronts an executive with evidence of his stolen design. He secures a job within the company along with a proper sponsorship. Alejandro's mother is reassured by her son's newfound success and confidence, which frees her from her creative block. Centuries later, Elizabeth and Bobby are reawakened by FreezeCorp. Elizabeth reunites with Alejandro, now elderly and a renowned toymaker, who also chose cryogenic preservation much later in life. Their bond transcends time.

Cast

• Julio Torres as Alejandro, an immigrant toy maker
• Tilda Swinton as Elizabeth, an artist and Alejandro's employer
• RZA as Bobby, Elizabeth's late husband
• Isabella Rossellini as the narrator
• Catalina Saavedra as Dolores, Alejandro's mother
• James Scully as Bingham, Elizabeth's secondary assistant
• Laith Nakli as Khalil, an immigration officer
• Spike Einbinder as Spray, Alejandro's roommate
• Greta Lee as Dalia, Bobby's apprentice
• Larry Owens as Craigslist, a personification of the website
• Kelly McCormack as Sharon, a FreezeCorp representative
• Greta Titelman as Celeste, Elizabeth's former employee
• Martine Gutierrez as gallerist
• Megan Stalter as Lili
• Charlene Incarnate as MC, an art studio organizer
• Theo Maltz as Travis, who rents Alejandro's room

Toys and art

Since his first comedy special, My Favorite Shapes (2019), and his SNL comedy sketch, "Wells For Boys," Julio Torres has reimagined the meaning miscellaneous objects and toys. Problemista features a variety of unique toys and art-pieces imagined by both Alejandro and his mother, Dolores. At the center of his creative spirit is the belief that "toys these days are wonderful but they are a little bit too preoccupied with fun." Thus his creations are as follows:

• A doll like a Barbie which has its fingers crossed behind its back. This is intended to give much needed "tension and intrigue" to the world of the doll.
• Smartphones for Cabbage Patch Kids which contain images displaying the complexity of their private lives.
• A slinky which refuses to go down which forces the child playing with it to go on the journey an otherwise normal slinky would. Joy then, is derived from active achievement rather than passive onlooking.
• A toy truck whose tires' slow deflates, meant to teach the lesson that children must play on limited time.
• A snake in a can who pops out with a sign that says "I'm sorry I was trapped in this can and scaring you was the only way out."
• At the end of the film, a woman in the future references "My Little Problems," created by Alejandro and his mother, possibly alluding to Dolores's idea. Freed from her creative block, Dolores envisions a global series of giant puzzle pieces symbolizing Alejandro's efforts. Initially seen as obstacles or decorations, some people will recognize them as challenges. They will learn that the puzzle lacks an instruction manual and varies for each individual. Just as one piece is completed, another appears. This project serves as a "monument to the artist," representing the courage to face fears and navigate life's chaos. It's a tribute to trial and error, personal discovery, ambition, and overcoming challenges.

Production

In July 2021, it was announced that Tilda Swinton would star in the film and Julio Torres would costar in and direct it, from a screenplay he wrote, with A24 set to finance and distribute. In November 2021, RZA, Isabella Rossellini, Greta Lee, Spike Einbinder, Laith Nakil, Larry Owens, James Scully, and Greta Titelman joined the cast. Emma Stone serves as a producer under her Fruit Tree banner.

Principal photography began in November 2021 in New York City.

Release

The film had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 13, 2023. It was scheduled to be released in the United States on August 4, 2023, before it was delayed due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. It was eventually rescheduled to be released on March 1, 2024.

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 86% based on 132 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "With Problemista, Julio Torres' utterly unique sensibilities prove a perfectly cracked lens through which to find the surreal humor in bleak aspects of the human experience." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 68 out of 100, based on 30 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

The New York Times considered Problemista a fantasticaly and visually extravagant exploration of systemic inequality, with Julio Torres's signature eccentricity balanced by a newfound willingness to tell a relatable story. The film draws on Torres's own immigration struggles, blending absurd visual metaphors with biting social commentary. Tilda Swinton’s portrayal of Elizabeth, a venomous and domineering art critic, was highlighted as a standout performance, described as both frightful and mesmerizing. The review lauded the film's ability to juxtapose playful absurdity with the harsh realities of bureaucracy and economic precarity, ultimately framing Elizabeth's rejection of impersonal modern systems as a rebellious, albeit overwhelming, battle cry.

Christian Urrutia of El Tecolote referred to Problemista as a rare portrayal of a Salvadoran immigrant, calling it a “quirky and whimsical journey” that challenges typical immigration narratives. The review highlighted the film’s surreal humor, comparing it to Terry Gilliam’s work, while addressing serious themes like the “dystopian power dynamics” between employers and immigrant workers. Tilda Swinton’s Elizabeth is described as a “true problemista,” whose unhinged antics force Alejandro to realize that “sometimes you need to create problems to find new solutions.”

According to Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian Problemista is a quirky, overly stylized film that struggles under its excesses. Julio Torres's portrayal of Alejandro is marked by a “weird marionette-bobbing motion,” while the film's charm often feels forced, like “the filmic equivalent of a decaf oat latte with a sprinkling of vegan gummy bears.” Tilda Swinton’s performance as the abrasive Elizabeth is the film's saving grace, but even she can’t fully redeem the implausible, “insufferable” tone, which leaves the film feeling more like a collection of whimsical moments than a cohesive narrative.

NPR included Problemista on its list of the best movies and TV of 2024, with critic Glen Weldon writing, "The comedy targets are broad – institutions like banks, credit card companies, and the U.S. immigration system – but the jokes themselves are precise and perfect".

Awards

Problemista has received six nominations and won one award.

• 2023 South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival: Nominated for the Audience Award: Headliners – Julio Torres.
• 2024 International Online Cinema Awards (INOCA): Won the Halfway Award for Best Supporting Actress – Tilda Swinton; nominated for Best Original Screenplay – Julio Torres.
• 2024 Guild of Music Supervisors Awards: Maggie Baron was nominated for Best Music Supervision for a Trailer (Film).
• 2024 La Roche-sur-Yon International Film Festival: Nominated for the Grand Prix du Jury: Compétition internationale – Julio Torres.
• 2025 Film Independent Spirit Awards: Nominated for Best First Feature (director Julio Torres; producers Ali Herting, Dave McCary, and Emma Stone) and Best First Screenplay – Julio Torres.

Award	Date of ceremony	Category	Recipient(s)	Result	Ref.
Independent Spirit Awards	February 22, 2025	Best First Feature	Julio Torres, Ali Herting, Dave McCary, and Emma Stone	Pending
		Best First Screenplay	Julio Torres	Pending

External links

• Problemista at IMDb