Julio Torres and Tilda Swinton in PROBLEMISTA Credit: credit: A24

Julio Torres is truthfully one of the funniest comedians working today. His television series, Los Espookys, was short lived but iconic, a hilarious and sweet ode to horror lovers everywhere. His first feature film follow-up, SXSW headliner Problemista, doesn’t miss, and his witty, charming whimsy feels as ingenious as ever.

Torres leads the film as Alejandro, a Salvadorian immigrant who dreams of getting into toy company Hasbro’s talent incubator program, but gets stuck working for an erratic art critic, Elizabeth (Tilda Swinton), who’s trying to find a large amount of money on a tight deadline so the company that has her husband’s frozen body doesn’t stop maintaining it.

Julio Torres and Tilda Swinton at the Problemista March 13 premiere at the Paramount Theatre. See photo gallery. Credit: photo by Gary Miller

Torres mixes in everything that makes his specific brand of comedy unique into Problemista – his toy pitches are obscurely sassy, his imaginative use of CGI and costuming is fantastical, and his dry delivery is the perfect juxtaposition to the film’s outlandish absurdity.

Where Torres plays the heir to the Willy Wonka Mexican Chocolate throne in Los Espookys, in Problemista Alejandro’s more kin to Hermey the misfit elf in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, a kid with a toy-related dream that doesn’t quite fit into the norm. On top of it, his immigration status being in flux creates a ticking time bomb in the visual metaphor of an hourglass that is kept in the basement of the immigration office. This is where Swinton steps in as Torres potential sponsor and sort-of mentor.

Elizabeth is the kind of person who would complain to the waiter about a salad that wasn’t even her’s, just to complain. She’s a thorny dragon that Alejandro has to fight, but his patience and semi-admiration for her eventually soften her, creating an odd couple of sorts built on the mutual feeling of being an outcast. Elizabeth and Alejandro’s relationship works to a degree, but Swinton’s hard-pressed nature is a bit too prickly at times.

But that’s what makes Torres so profound. He doesn’t see the world in black and white or even shades of grey – he sees the colorful potential in everything. His kindness and fairy tale sensibilities are infectious. While Problemista might have some bumps, they are minor in the scheme of his enormous creativity.

Problemista

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This article appears in March 10 • 2023.

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