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Problemista

Problemista

Comedy · 2024

Alejandro 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 becomes his only hope to stay in the country and realize his dream.

Movie details

Problemista

2024 Comedy 1h 44m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.8 / 10

Community rating

Alejandro 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 becomes his only hope to stay in the country and realize his dream.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Problemista?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Julio Torres

Written by

Julio Torres

Julio Torres

Julio Torres

Alejandro

Tilda Swinton

Tilda Swinton

Elizabeth

RZA

RZA

Bobby

Isabella Rossellini

Isabella Rossellini

Narrator (voice)

Catalina Saavedra

Catalina Saavedra

Dolores

James Scully

James Scully

Bingham

Laith Nakli

Laith Nakli

Khalil

Court is in session

Put Problemista on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Popcorn Loyalist

“It owes the canon nothing.”

The movie pursues immediacy and audience pleasure without begging institutions to certify its worth.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“Easy pleasure, short half-life.”

It moves efficiently through the moment but offers little reason to keep arguing once the credits end.