Problemista
Alejandro (Torres) is a doe-eyed, almost preternaturally calm young lad that wants nothing more than to make odd, existential children's toys (like a slinky that never falls down the stairs or a jack-in-the-box that apologies for scaring you) for Hasbro, but before he can do that, he must navigate the heartless rules of the U.S. immigration system, find someone to sponsor his work visa within a month so he can remain in the country, and come up with enough money to pay his rent. Alejandro quickly gets fired by FreezeCorp where he was tasked with overseeing Bobby, a cryogenically frozen artist, but not before getting caught in the tornado that is Bobby's wife Elizabeth (Tilda Swinton), an eccentric and demanding art critic that is basically a Karen on steroids, eternally aggrieved and constantly getting in the face of everyone she meets. For some reason, Elizabeth takes Alejandro under her wing, promising to sponsor his visa if he can put together an art show to sell the deceased/frozen Bobby's paintings of eggs while properly documenting everything in the impossibly outdated database program, Filemaker Pro ("the Cadillac of spreadsheets").
Your experience with the movie will largely depend on how much you get out of its barrage of quirkiness. Not only are the characters fairly ridiculous, but Torres frequently utilizes short, playful breaks to cartoon-ize various real world situations. The 30-day rush to get a visa is pictured as sand going through an hourglass, where you literally disappear like a ghost once time is up. Talking to an immigration lawyer about the confusing laws and policies is imagined as Alejandro being trapped in a series of identical office cubes, all stacked on top of each other, with no way out. Craigslist is repeatedly envisioned as a colorful, sinister, wizard-man who gleefully provides Alejandro with unhelpful searches for odd jobs that could make him money. These visual gags are creatively executed with low-budget props, giving the movie a unique, offbeat vibe that I enjoyed for the most part, but Torres went back to this well maybe a few many times; if you're not onboard with these stylistic choices from the start, you may not be able to finish the movie.
The moments that really shine are the appeals for basic human empathy while we all try to navigate a complex world that is largely out of our control. Alejandro is constantly running into roadblocks that are part of impossibly large systems, and is frustrated that the individuals he encounters within those systems are often cold and uncaring, usually just low-level workers who are trying to get by themselves. In the movie's best gag, he begs a Bank of America teller to simply just agree with him that the bank's overdraft fees are absurd and unfair, even if she can't do anything about them herself.
Torres is intentionally infusing Alejandro with an over-the-top childlike demeanor (including a very silly little half-trot he does everywhere), which makes him a little tough to connect with. It's Swinton's Elizabeth character that makes the biggest impact, comically terrifying everyone with her dyed wig and crazed eyes, rightfully earning the nickname "Hydra" for the way she attacks back with more questions and anger whenever someone tries to placate her. She is the antithesis of Alejandro, jaded and cynical, devoid of optimism and unafraid to embarrass herself if it gets her what she wants. The two characters are at different extremes, and the movie suggests maybe the best approach to survive is somewhere in the middle.
It's a breezy and enjoyable debut from Torres, lingering comfortably in its playful fantasies while still managing to touch on the very real difficulties faced by immigrants trying to make it in the United States. The movie isn't interested in going beyond surface deep with these things (it is a fantastical comedy, after all), but there's just enough real universal human experience on display to pull at the heartstrings. The quirk factor is difficult to ignore; immigrant anxiety is certainly a perspective worth exploring, but some viewers might not be too interested in watching that perspective when it's overpowered by the comedic style it's told with. Still, it's hard to root against something that encourages real human interaction and empathy in a world increasingly devoid of both.
