Out Julio Torres Stars in ‘Problemista,’ Goran Stolevski Returns with Glorious ‘Housekeeping for Beginners’

thegavoice.com:

Two new films by out directors are on tap now, both well worth the audience’s time. In the new, “Problemista,” Julio Torres (who also writes and directs the feature) stars as Alejandro, who is from El Salvador, but now lives in New York.

He wants to make toys for a living, but is having a problem sustaining a work visa — and the only solution he can come up with is working with Elizabeth (Tilda Swinton), an art critic on a mission.

In a recent interview, Torres said “Problemista” is very much based on his life. “I went through similar experiences going from a student visa to a work visa and it’s the movie that came out of me as part of that time,” he said. “I feel there was a genuine sense of frustration with bureaucracy, but at the same time there was a love for life that I wanted to showcase.” Alejandro is caught in a series of Catch-22s in the film.

First and foremost, he needs to come up with money to pay for a work visa, but he is only legally allowed to make money when he has that paperwork. “He’s like a little mouse in a maze and in that maze, he sort of discovers himself and he grows and learns,” Torres said. “It’s presented as surrealistic, almost fairy tale-like.” Despite their differences — and where they are in their lives — Alejandro and Elizabeth bond, and Alejandro learns a lot from his new boss.