One has to admire the commitment to a bit when watching a film like Problemista. In Julio Torres’ debut film, the gags are often hiding just below the surface. Yet, it’s not afraid to display something loud and clear. Take the opening credits. For a quirky indie film to nab Isabella Rossellini, but only as an off-screen narrator, is a comical delight. But Problemista has far more to say than simply throwing jokes at the wall about how living in New York, especially as an immigrant relying on a work visa, is incredibly difficult. Torres’ film, for as much as it is a full-blown imaginative comedy, is deeply preoccupied with contemporary society and the list of problems bogging people down on a daily basis. Living in a world that supposedly promotes inclusivity and opportunity for all, Problemista clearly has a bone to pick with the systems that make it incredibly difficult to actually achieve a borderline peaceful living. Brought to life through a variety of surreal mazes and playhouse dress-up shows, Torres’ film takes a creative approach to addressing a fundamental problem with how this country treats the people who want to call it home permanently.
The film begins with Alejandro (Torres) as a child living in El Salvador. He wished for everything, and in turn, his mother provided it all; Even down to the castle fit for either a child king or a 90’s McDonald’s playpen. But Alejandro is whisked away to an unforgiving place, full of problems and rats and roaches: New York! Rossellini describes it as an intimidating place, but looking at Alejandro, you wouldn’t think it fazes him. Sure, he lives in Williamsburg with a room that barely has a window, let alone decor. He also lives right under the J train on Broadway which, having lived there for two years, can confirm it is anything but peaceful as far as street noise goes. Yet Alejandro practically floats through this entire movie. He deals with a variety of hardships, of which we will dive into shortly, but it’s impossible to imagine that the specific gait with which Alejandro walks through this film wasn’t thought-out prior. Such thought into something so trivial may seem odd, but it’s in moments like that which carry Problemista through its rougher edges.
Part of the film focuses on the stress of the dreadful job search. In Alejandro’s case though, he has a one-month deadline. If he is not hired and sponsored by his employer, his visa will expire. With time passing by, showcased in a manner both very literal and surreal, we see Alejandro scramble with job applications, subletting, and the mysterious world of Craigslist, also showcased in comically ethereal fashion. One of the strengths of Problemista is its ability to literalize larger concepts into bite-size moments of surreal comedy. In that comedy though, there rings a justifiably mocking tone. Take, for example, how Torres is able to so easily address the impossibly, and unnecessarily, laborious immigration laws. Shown through an ever-growing maze that could double as a contemporary art installation, Alejandro finds himself trapped within a system that seems designed to make its participants fail. Unless of course he, as he’s explicitly told in the film, bends the rules.
Problemista oftentimes finds itself a bit all over the place, but it has a handful of strengths that make it a delight to watch. There is the always excellent Tilda Swinton, playing a woman that any service worker or customer service worker would dread to hear from. But it’s a phenomenal performance from Swinton that simply doesn’t let up, only to reveal that her entire being practically has its own narrative hidden just below the surface. There’s also the toys that
Alejandro designs, recreated by a wonderful team of prop artists. One has to imagine that A24 will release at least one of them on their merch store pending any rights issues. In both of these cases, Problemista reveals the hand it’s hiding. On the surface, these are quirky and entertaining pieces of the film. But they get at something deeper. Something far more real and moving. What presents itself as delightful indie fare morphs into this really honest depiction about the toll society, corporations, and immigration policies take on the people having to deal with them on a regular basis.
There’s perhaps no moment more indicative of this confounding struggle then when Alejandro discovers he has been accruing overdraft fees on his card balance. It’s a dialogue exchange better left to be experienced in the moment, but it cathartically confronts one of the many ridiculous aspects of contemporary life. It’s also here where the inclusion of Swinton’s character breaks free of any possible irritation in the name of something meaningful. Her character is a lot to handle for large sequences of the film, but Swinton plays it with such ferocity and care that you can’t help but search for something deeper. She’s excellent, but it’s only in the third act that the walls of ice she has formed around her heart begin to thaw. They never disappear, which is the charm of the character, but they feel present in search of a touching truth. In her eyes, by being a problem for some, she is becoming the solution for many others, particularly those who feel voiceless. Torres’ Problemista may be a bit messy in its overall design, but it’s often charming and consistently entertaining. And as Alejandro learns when to take his own stand for himself and those who are still too nervous to do so, Problemista is an important delight.
A24 has released Problemista in select theaters, and will begin expanding nationwide on March 22.