Toys, fantasy and the US immigration system: inside Julio Torres' debut film, Problemista

A hellish Kafkaesque trawl through the US immigration system is given a fantastical twist in Julio Torres’ debut film, Problemista, the first he has written, directed and starred in, and now available on digital release. It is combined with a healthy dose of horror – the horror of being an art-world outcast, as is Tilda Swinton’s character, and the horror of failing to achieve your dreams and becoming lost in bureaucratic bedlam.

The story is told through the lens of Torres’ character, Alejandro, whose childlike wish is to become a toy designer of unworkable toys at Hasbro in New York. Think a Cabbage Patch Kid, whose phone sends awful messages to her friends. Or a Barbie, fingers permanently crossed behind her back in a play on her manipulative character.

‘Play is the way in which I find it manageable to talk about politics,’ says Torres. ‘Play is the way in which I find it emotionally accessible to talk about unpleasant indignations. I found toys to be a very fun and accessible metaphor. At their baseline they are symbols, for masculinity and for femininity. Symbols for domesticity, career aspirations, for anything. So I chose to make them little problems, as it were.’

Torres swerves the usual immigrant’s story, instead emphasising Alejandro’s mother’s overwhelming love and support, and his ideological lifestyle choices alongside the poverty and degradation. In surrealist undertones, the farcical futility of the system Alejandro is stuck in comes to life, in him literally entering the twisted world of Craigslist, or being buried under the impossible inevitably of his overdraft.

‘It is very much informed by what it feels like to be trapped in bureaucracy, in an inescapable and senseless maze of paperwork. And, you know, fighting in a cave is what it feels like to have a very scary phone conversation or email exchange. And so they're really just rooted in that feeling.’

What has Torres learnt from his directorial debut? ‘Follow your instinct and rely on collaborators. Lean on your friends and make it easier for yourself by surrounding yourself with people who understand you, and the world of the story. If you are acting and directing at the same time, lean on a producer to keep you on whether or not you got the shot. And finally, if you're acting and directing at the same time, make sure your character wears comfortable clothes.’

Problemista is now available on digital release, universalpictures.com