150 Word Review: 'Problemista' (2024)
Un cuento de hadas
As a performer, Julio Torres can seem aloof, but deep down, he's a sharp satirist specializing in whimsical one-liners and surreal sight gags. His inner life is melancholy and magical, and his filmmaking debut, Problemista, is a passport to this dimension.
Problemista doesn't begin with "Once upon a time..." but it may as well. Once upon a time, Julio Torres' Alejandro was a precocious child living in the jungles of El Salvador with his brilliant artist mother. With her blessing, he journeys to Nuevo York to follow his dreams. The rest of the movie is a playful salute to hard-working immigrants and the indignities they suffer.
Alejandro will do anything to get a visa, including working for a chaotic art critic played by the fabulous Tilda Swinton. Torres mines the absurdities of American hustle culture for quiet laughs. For instance, he imagines Craigslist job listings as a slightly sinister Genie.
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One of my favorite films this year. Totally surprised and blew me away in the best way possible. Swinton is terrific. And I admit, I shed a tear at the end.