The Unique and Surreal Comedy of Julio Torres

Julio Torres: A Comedic Visionary Redefining Storytelling

This month, Problemista arrived in theaters. Maybe you've heard of it; maybe you haven't. The film follows Alejandro, a Salvadoran immigrant in the U.S. who dreams of becoming a toy designer at Hasbro—if only the relentless hurdles of New York City and the U.S. immigration system weren’t constantly in his way.

Yet, the success of Problemista isn’t the point. Sure, its star and creator, Julio Torres, deserves a breakout hit, but only so he can continue sharing his singular comedic vision. As Torres told The Cut, “I hope people like it, but I don’t make work with [other people’s] perception in mind.”

Who is Julio Torres?

Born in San Salvador, El Salvador, in 1987, Torres grew up surrounded by creativity—his mother, Tita, was a fashion designer and architect with her own store. As a child, he would sketch extravagant princess dresses for her to make and sell.

Torres later moved to New York City to study literary studies at The New School. But as he told GQ, “School was just the excuse to figure out how to be here and remain here… I wanted to write for TV, and I wanted to write for film.” Unsure of how to break in, he started performing stand-up.

The Rise of an Unmistakable Comedic Voice

Torres' work gained wider recognition when he became a writer for Saturday Night Live, crafting unforgettable sketches like Papyrus—where Ryan Gosling plays a man tormented by Avatar’s inexplicable use of the Papyrus font—and Wells for Boys, a fake Fisher-Price ad for a life-size well designed for introspective, sensitive children.

In 2019, his unique, melancholic humor took center stage in My Favorite Shapes, an HBO special where he narrates absurd and poignant stories about objects as they roll past on a conveyor belt. As The Atlantic put it, “He likes to speak of objects not as mere objects, but as beings with identities, with souls of their own.”

At the same time, he co-created and co-starred in Los Espookys, a Spanish-language comedy about horror-loving friends who turn their passion into a business. The show’s surreal charm and distinctive aesthetic made it a cult favorite, though it ended after two seasons. AV Club praised its second season as sharper and even more striking: “Nothing else like it has ever been on TV.”

Problemista: A Film That Balances Reality and Whimsy

Torres’ feature directorial debut, Problemista, stars himself as Alejandro and Tilda Swinton as Elizabeth, an eccentric art critic attempting to preserve the legacy of her cryogenically frozen husband. Alejandro, desperate for a green card, agrees to help Elizabeth organize an exhibition in exchange for sponsorship.

The film blends the mundane (an immigrant’s bureaucratic struggles) with the fantastical (the immigration system portrayed as a labyrinthine nightmare). As Torres told The Hollywood Reporter, “Even though those hurdles in life aren’t as dramatically accessible as falling in love or robbing a bank, they stay with you, scar you, traumatize you, and make you grow.”

This mix of sharp social commentary and surreal whimsy is Torres’ signature. In Problemista, Craigslist becomes a person (played by Larry Owens), a chaotic gig-economy genie dwelling in a trash-heap wonderland—an idea perfectly encapsulating Torres’ comedic style.

At its core, Torres’ storytelling invites us to see the world with fresh curiosity. As he told Polygon, “Children ask a lot of questions… And then somewhere along the line, we’re told that being too curious is bad.” His work, full of wit and wonder, reminds us to keep questioning.