Quirky ‘PROBLEMISTA’ Aspires to Make America Artistic Again

El Salvador native Julio Torres, a former SNL writer described as a comic surrealist, injects every single quirky ounce of his personality into Problemista. The experimental indie film financed by A24 explores the dual struggle of an aspiring toymaker and his labyrinthine journey to navigate the American immigration system. Working from a script that he wrote, Torres directs, produces, and stars, making this a singular effort that’s bursting with Torres’ at times crude, often surrealistic, and always a little off-kilter sensibilities. For those operating on his wavelength, Problemista will be an original breathe of fresh air, a new creative voice projecting itself boldly into the cinesphere with Torres’ lispy monotone. His style being a decidedly acquired taste, those who don’t vibe with his unique approach to the dramedy genre however will find this to be a rather long and taxing watch.

Torres is Alejandro, a Salvadorian dreamer trying to make it in New York City. When he loses his job at a for-profit cryogenics lab, he encounters the bold and abrasive Elizabeth (Tilda Swinton). She’s a former art critic, married to the frozen man who Alejandro stood vigil over at the cryogenics lab: an avant-garde painter obsessed with eggs, played by Wu-Tang Clan rapper RZA. Desperate to stay in the USA to continue applying for Hasbro’s student toymaking incubator program, Alejandro becomes Elizabeth’s assistant in the hopes of securing visa sponsorship and the pair plot to put on an art show featuring RZA’s bizarre egg art. For a film with such big aspirations and weird ideas, Torres largely lacks the finesse to pull it off. As a writer, actor, producer, and director, the film feels dampened by its overwhelming amateur nature. Certain elements and narrative through-lines harken to Torres’ SNL roots, making for a movie that at only 95-minutes can feel infinitely longer, as if the audience too is frozen in time. Torres’ film too often veers away from its actually interesting conceit – that American immigration laws are structured in a way that seems to predispose them to failure or encourage rule-breaking – to mixed results. One recurring bit with an anthropomorphic Craigslist creature feels especially hackneyed; an idea that never comes to fruition but found its way into the final cut regardless.

Swinton is largely responsible for everything that works about Problemista, injecting Elizabeth with a terrifying unpredictability. The mercurial art snob shoots firebolts from her eyes and electricity from her fingertips and Swinton capably gobbles up the NYC scenery. Up against such a domineering screen presence, Torres wilts as a performer, failing to match the prowess of the always impressive Swinton.

Torres’ twisted and silly approach may work wonders for some – comedy, after all, is about as subjective as any art form. However my mild amusement quickly gave way to disinterest as the film droned on, stretching what should be a relatively brief runtime into a tedious ordeal, due largely to Torres’ choppy pacing. This isn’t so much an utter failure as a vision that needed more shaping and supervision.

CONCLUSION: Despite a fiery supporting performance from Tilda Swinton, Julio Torres’ first feature film, Problemista, feels like it hasn’t worked out all its kinks yet. Unique and personal but mired by amateur execution, this immigrant comedy-drama just can’t quite get off the ground.