Julio Torres has built his career on eccentricity — whether he’s waxing poetic about his favorite shapes, befriending a King’s Speech-obsessed water demon, or causing Ryan Gosling to have a mental breakdown over the font Papyrus. Now, the comedian and former Saturday Night Live writer is bringing his signature weirdness to the big screen.
The Los Espookys star makes his directorial debut with the upcoming film Problemista, a surreal A24 release that earned buzz out of this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Torres wrote, directed, and starred in the film, which follows an aspiring toy designer named Alejandro (Torres) as he leaves his home in El Salvador and tries to build a new life in New York City.
To stay in New York, Alejandro needs an employer to sponsor his visa. So, he gets a job working for an art-world weirdo played by Tilda Swinton, who recruits him to help curate an exhibition. The entire trailer is packed with surrealism, from Swinton’s kooky magenta hair to shots of Alejandro facing off against a shadowy dragon. (The entire thing is narrated by Isabella Rossellini, who made a recent cameo on the Los Espookys season 2 finale.)
Problemista will hit theaters Aug. 4, and the cast also includes RZA, Larry Owens, Catalina Saavedra, and Greta Lee. (Emma Stone and her husband, SNL director Dave McCary, also produced.) Watch the trailer above.
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