Problemista
An inventive Salvadoran toy designer navigates visa precarity and a tyrannical art-world employer through a deliriously surreal New York comedy.
Overview
An aspiring toy designer navigates the chaotic world of New York City in pursuit of his dreams.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- whimsical
- surreal
- witty
- indie film night
- surreal comedy night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised Julio Torres's visually extravagant surrealism, eccentric comic voice, and Tilda Swinton's commanding performance while finding the film uneven and overly stylized.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Visa deadlines, employers, and institutional obstacles are rendered through playful visual metaphors and fantastical comic spaces.
Alejandro's ability to remain in the United States depends on assisting the domineering Elizabeth while his work visa expires.
Alejandro is an aspiring toy designer whose unusual ideas and inventive worldview shape the film's imagery.
Immigration bureaucracy, economic precarity, and exploitative power dynamics obstruct Alejandro's ambitions.
Films like Problemista, and why
Brazil
surrealist comedy, eccentric visual metaphors, and absurd critiques of bureaucratic systems
The Lobster
whimsical outsider protagonist, stylized social satire, and emotionally precarious urban life
The Unusual Suspects
offbeat immigrant perspective, inventive visual language, and comic examination of alienation
Sorry to Bother You
eccentric characters, surreal comedy, and sharp satire of status and institutional power
Movie Details
- Director
- Julio Torres
- Release Date
- 2024-03-01
- Runtime
- 104 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (176)
Cast
- Julio Torres
- Tilda Swinton
- RZA
- Isabella Rossellini
- Catalina Saavedra
- James Scully
- Laith Nakli
- Spike Einbinder
- Logan J. Alarcon-Poucel
- Greta Lee
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Problemista about?
- An inventive Salvadoran toy designer navigates visa precarity and a tyrannical art-world employer through a deliriously surreal New York comedy.
- What is Problemista like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Problemista as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Problemista violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Problemista.
- What did critics think of Problemista?
- Critics broadly praised Julio Torres's visually extravagant surrealism, eccentric comic voice, and Tilda Swinton's commanding performance while finding the film uneven and overly stylized.
- Which films are like Problemista?
- Films with a similar feel include Brazil, The Lobster, The Unusual Suspects, and Sorry to Bother You.
- How long is Problemista?
- Problemista runs 104 minutes.
- Where can I watch Problemista?
- In United States, Problemista is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex.
