A24 today debuted the official trailer for Problemista, the indie comedy film starring Julio Torres, Tilda Swinton, RZA, Greta Lee, Catalina Saavedra, James Scully, and narrated by Isabella Rossellini.
Julio Torres stars as an aspiring designer in New York City, when the time on his work visa runs out, a job assisting an art world outcast played by Tilda Swinton becomes his only hope to stay in the country.
Release Date
Written and directed by Julio Torres making his directorial debut, Problemista world premiered at South by Southwest film festival, and will be released in select theaters on August 4 and everywhere on August 25.
Synopsis
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.
Reviews
In their harsh review, Variety wrote, “The perpetually unsatisfied title character, a demanding New York art critic played by Tilda Swinton as a hag with hair the color of hibiscus tea, is obsessed with archiving the life’s work of her late husband (RZA), who left behind a series of egg paintings no one seems to understand. Swinton feels like a future Halloween costume in search of a movie in writer-director Julio Torres’ overly kooky and all-too-quixotic debut — another attention-deficit comedy from the studio that made “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” except that Torres lacks the technical experience to pull off even a fraction of the ideas to which he aspires.” Ouch!!
Deadline, however liked the film, writing in their review, “Problemista is about authenticity and learning to be confident enough to take up space. Especially as a person of color who often feel invisible, or feel they must shrink themselves in order to fit in. Sometimes you’ve got to cause a little chaos and let that anxiety push you to succeed, which I’m sure Torres had to deal with a degree of chaos to make this film happen. There is something exciting about seeing your work come to life. The first piece is always the most sincere, and honest, but in order for that to make sense to the audience, the cast has to believe in what they’re doing, which is why this film is a certified hit.”
Official Trailer
Watch the official trailer for Problemista.