Problemista

Play trailer

2:29

Problemista

R

2024

1h 38m

Comedy

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

86%

Tomatometer

138 Reviews

85%

Popcornmeter

50+ Verified Ratings

Alejandro (Julio Torres) 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 (Tilda Swinton) 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.

Critics Consensus

With Problemista, Julio Torres' utterly unique sensibilities prove a perfectly cracked lens through which to find the surreal humor in bleak aspects of the human experience.

Read Critics Reviews

Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)

07/08/2024

2/5

Against all expectations, an odd-couple friendship develops. Or so this needy, Kaufmanesque indie would have us believe. In practice, however, Swinton is massively overblown and Torres too wispy and diffident to balance things out.

Go to Full Review

Jonathan Romney

Financial Times

07/05/2024

2/5

Problemista is undeniably inventive, but it’s also rather joyless and ultimately infuriating. Like a Slinky that refuses to walk down stairs.

Go to Full Review

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

07/03/2024

2/5

It’s full of implausible cod-adorable happy-sad touches, the filmic equivalent of a decaf oat latte with a sprinkling of vegan gummy bears.

Go to Full Review

Juan Pablo Russo

EscribiendoCine

Apr 3

7/10

On the one hand, it offers an interpretation of migrant precarity and the conditions of integration in the United States; on the other, it chooses to approach this material through comedy, thus overlooking traditional drama. [Full review in Spanish]

Go to Full Review

David Bax

Battleship Pretension

Jan 21

Julio Torres' wonderfully surreal new comedy, Problemista, nails the nauseous tension of being a vulnerable, lowly employee and mines serious laughs from it.

Go to Full Review

Ridge Harripersad

CGMagazine

Sep 4

7.5

Problemista had just enough bite and humour to stick the oddity landing, edging Everything Everywhere All at Once territory at some parts.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

stella

10/10/2024

Creative, beautiful, funny love it

See more

Lisa M

04/15/2024

Hilarious and superb acting!

See more

Susie

04/15/2024

I liked the many messages of hope this film gave my family and I. I took my mom and brothers to see it because I knew it mentioned El Salvador. It is so important we support our talent. We are rooting for our bichito, Julio!

See more

TheNannyNamedShan

04/01/2024

This was the best movie I've seen in months. It was a genre-defying piece created with incredible dexterity. I was laughing throughout, and I'm happy to say that the audience in my showing was just as pleased with the humor as I was. And yet, I also felt such acute fear, distaste, unease, sweetness and hatred, often flying between extremes, in the best possible way that only a film of this caliber could achieve. Tilda Swinton better make room on her mantle for the awards this will surely bring her. And Julio Torres is a new directorial force to be reckoned with if Frida Kahlo and Spike Jonze co-directed a film, it would be this one. I loved it, and I will see it again.

See more

Sara

03/31/2024

Wonderfully unique movie! It was hilarious and worth watching!

See more

Rachel

03/29/2024

Standard Hollywood fare, this thankfully is not. Brilliant social commentary with hard laughs. Thank you AMC for now showing the types of films I used to have to go to "art house" theaters to view. I will definitely be coming back more often.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Julio Torres

Director

Julio Torres

Alejandro

Tilda Swinton

Elizabeth

RZA

Bobby

Isabella Rossellini

Narrator

Larry Owens

Craigslist

The Banshees of Inisherin

96%

75%

The Banshees of Inisherin

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Banshees of Inisherin

Joy Ride

90%

81%

Joy Ride

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Joy Ride

The Baltimorons

93%

84%

The Baltimorons

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Baltimorons

In the Soup

83%

76%

In the Soup

Watchlist

Scrambled

94%

84%

Scrambled

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Scrambled

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Problemista: Teaser

1:14

Problemista: Trailer 2

1:20

Problemista: Trailer 1

2:29

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

Alejandro (Julio Torres) 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 (Tilda Swinton) 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.

Director: Julio Torres
Producer: Emma Stone, Dave McCary, Ali Herting
Screenwriter: Julio Torres
Distributor: A24
Production Co: A24, Fruit Tree, Exile Content Studio
Rating: R (Some Language|Sexual Content)
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 22, 2024, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 19, 2024
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.1M
Runtime: 1h 38m
Sound Mix: Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)