I dunno about you, dear reader, but I worry about money all the time. So I can certainly relate to the anxiety on display in this “Problemista” trailer, let me tell ya. In the film, “Alejandro is an aspiring toy designer from El Salvador, struggling to bring his unusual ideas to life in New York City. As time on his work visa runs out, a job assisting an erratic art-world outcast becomes his only hope to stay in the country and realize his dream. From writer/director Julio Torres comes a surreal adventure through the equally treacherous worlds of New York City and the U.S. Immigration system.”
Julio Torres (“Los Espookys”) writes, directs, and stars in the picture, which also features Tilda Swinton, RZA, Isabella Rossellini, and Greta Lee. “Problemista” played at SXSW earlier this year, where /Film writer Erin Brady reviewed it, writing: “If we had it our way, then this review would be far more lengthy. There is just so much to unpack with it, but alas, we would rather save the various surprises it holds for its wide release. ‘Problemista’ won’t be for everyone, but it doesn’t want to be. It simply exists as its own magical thing, and for an auteur like Torres, that is the best possible result” and “Torres’ comedic and aesthetic stylings throughout ‘Problemista’ tease the domination of an emerging auteur. That being said, some of its deeper messaging could prove to be divisive, but you certainly can’t accuse it of not being thought-provoking and entertaining in spades.”
All of this sounds solid, and the trailer looks like a winner. “Problemista” hits theaters on August 4, 2023.