Problemista

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.

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== As a child in El Salvador, Alejandro is raised by his mother Dolores, an artist who encourages his imagination, despite her recurring dream of her son facing unknown dangers in a cave. As an adult, Alejandro lives in Bushwick, New York City, and struggles to achieve his dream of designing toys at Hasbro. He applies to Hasbro's internship program with ideas such as smartphones for Cabbage Patch Kids, but is rejected. Alejandro takes a job as an archivist at FreezeCorp, a company that cryogenically freezes artists despite lacking the technology to revive them. He is tasked with monitoring the body and work of Bobby, a painter of large-scale portraits of eggs, who froze himself in hopes of future success. Inspired by Bobby's ambition, Alejandro continues to brainstorm new toy concepts, but accidentally unplugs the cryogenic chamber's backup generator, resulting in his termination. Facing deportation, Alejandro has 30 days to find a new sponsor for his work visa. He encounters Bobby's wife Elizabeth, an eccentric art critic who hires him as her assistant. She promises sponsorship once they have organized an exhibition of Bobby's work, and Alejandro struggles to navigate Elizabeth's volatile temper and erratic demands. Immigration restrictions prevent him from being paid without a sponsor, forcing him to sublet his own bedroom and find precarious, cash-based jobs on Craigslist to cover the high visa fees. Meanwhile, Dolores struggles with feeling unable to help her son. Elizabeth introduces another assistant, Bingham, who secretly does not respect her and whose presence jeopardizes Alejandro's position. Alejandro and Elizabeth locate twelve of Bobby's thirteen paintings, but he gave his final egg to Dalia, his former student; they had an affair, and a jealous Elizabeth damaged Dalia's career with a scathing review. Alejandro writes a heartfelt apology on Elizabeth's behalf, leading to Dalia's tearful acceptance and return of the painting. While Alejandro shows the paintings to potential galleries, Elizabeth discovers that he has not updated her needlessly complicated filing system. She humiliates him over the phone, as he visualizes her as an angry dragon in a cave, and demands he ship her physical copies overnight. Unable to pay the shipping fees, Alejandro discovers his bank account has a negative balance, and argues with a representative on the phone about punishing overdraft fees. Desperate, he accepts a Craigslist offer for sex work, performing for a cleaning boy fetishist, and later learns that Hasbro has profited from one of his toy designs. Alejandro's immigration lawyer offers him a job as a paralegal, but he learns that he has secured a solo show for Bobby at a Roosevelt Island gallery. Elizabeth initially derides the location, but Alejandro stands up to her in a dream-like battle between dragon and knight, making her realize they share the same devotion to Bobby's legacy. Taking the cable car to the show, they realize they have forgotten a painting, and Elizabeth berates the conductor into turning around to retrieve it. They arrive at the gallery to find they have only been afforded a single wall, but successfully sell all of Bobby's paintings. In a moment of vulnerability, Elizabeth shows her gratitude and loneliness to Alejandro, who commends her bravery and perseverance. He calls his mother, who confesses that by trying to protect him, she inadvertently pushed him away and became creatively stuck. As she waits for his response, Elizabeth interrupts with a voice message: she has decided to freeze herself to join Bobby in the future. Elizabeth thanks Alejandro, expresses that she will miss him, and reveals the name of the Hasbro executive who stole his idea, urging him to stand up for himself and pursue his dream. Empowered by Elizabeth's message, Alejandro confronts the executive, securing a new job and proper sponsorship. Dolores is reassured by her son's newfound confidence, freeing her from her creative block. Centuries later, Elizabeth and Bobby are reawakened from cryogenic preservation, as is the elderly Alejandro, who became a renowned toymaker, and he and Elizabeth are reunited. ==Cast== ==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 2023 South by Southwest Film & TV Festival 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. ==References== ==External links==

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