Julio Torres’ “Problemista” Finally Gets New Release Date

After a lengthy delay related to the WGA and SAG strikes, comedian Julio Torres' first feature finally has a new release date. Originally scheduled for last summer, the surreal comedy about immigration will now arrive in theaters very soon.

Torres - who previously starred in and wrote on HBO's Los Espookys - drew on his own experiences as a Salvadoran immigrant, and threw in some of his trademark odd touches. So of course Tilda Swinton plays the eccentric art collector his character Alejandro begins working for. The cast also includes Megan Stalter (Max's Hacks), Greta Lee (Past Lives) and RZA. Isabella Rossellini serves as narrator.

Earning rave reviews at last year's SXSW, it's a film I was greatly anticipating last year. So I was majorly disappointed when it got delayed. Now I and the rest of the country can see the film before the next SXSW. A few theaters will get Problemista on Friday, March 1. A wide release follows on March 22.

Check out a new promo below, featuring Julio Torres, the voice of Tilda Swinton, and an unusual cell phone. Or should I say "shell phone"?

About Kip Mooney

Like many film critics born during and after the 1980s, my hero is Roger Ebert. The man was already the best critic in the nation when he won the Pulitzer in 1975, but his indomitable spirit during and after his recent battle with cancer keeps me coming back to read not only his reviews but his insightful commentary on the everyday. But enough about a guy you know a lot about. I knew I was going to be a film critic—some would say a snob—in middle school, when I had to voraciously defend my position that The Royal Tenenbaums was only a million times better than Adam Sandler’s remake of Mr. Deeds. From then on, I would seek out Wes Anderson’s films and avoid Sandler’s like the plague. Still, I like to think of myself as a populist, and I’ll be just as likely to see the next superhero movie as the next Sundance sensation. The thing I most deplore in a movie is laziness. I’d much rather see movies with big ambitions try and fail than movies with no ambitions succeed at simply existing. I’m also a big advocate of fun-bad movies like The Room and most of Nicolas Cage’s work. In the past, I’ve written for The Dallas Morning News and the North Texas Daily, which I edited for a semester. I also contributed to Dallas-based Pegasus News, which in the circle of life, is now part of The Dallas Morning News, where I got my big break in 2007. Eventually, I’d love to write and talk about film full-time, but until that’s a viable career option, I work as an auditor for Wells Fargo. I hope to one day meet my hero, go to the Toronto International Film Festival, and compete on Jeopardy. Until then, I’m excited to share my love of film with you.