The beginning of this film reminded me of the Oscar-winning Barbie (2023). Writer-director Julio Torres might be on the same wavelength as Greta Gerwig, the director and co-writer of Barbie. Both Torres and Gerwig start with a fantasy sequence and voice-over narration from a veteran actress, delivering wry lines in a deadpan manner. That initial narration is commenting on a toy company or involving a toy company in some way. Gerwig commented on Mattel. Here, Torres is commenting on Hasbro. Gerwig targeted the obvious, all-plastic stick-figure. Torres is targeting the more plush and more baby-like Cabbage Patch Kids.
Torres himself stars as Alejandro Martinez, an immigrant from El Salvador who is currently living in New York City. He's here on a work visa. That work visa has certain rules. One of the rules is that he needs a sponsor, someone who is basically an employer. If he loses his job or if his employer stops sponsoring him, he has a month to find a new one or else he'll be deported. The inciting incident is Alejandro losing his job and needing to find a new sponsor with a one-month, ticking clock before being kicked out the country.
Not totally understanding the immigration system, there are even more rules involved in finding a sponsor that make the whole process even more complicated and convoluted. Torres creates another fantasy sequence, depicting how convoluted, using rooms, stacked on top of each other in an unending staircase. Apparently, getting a new sponsor isn't as simple as getting a job at McDonald's. One of the other bizarre rules is that he can't take money from anyone until they agree to sponsor him. Any money would have to be in cash, under the table. This essentially puts him in the same boat as undocumented immigrants and the film is about the desperation and anxiety of such an experience, glimpsing us into the lives of such immigrants, or people on the margins, struggling financially.
Tilda Swinton (Doctor Strange and Michael Clayton) co-stars as Elizabeth Ascencio, an art critic who married an African American painter named Bobby Ascencio, played by RZA (The Man with the Iron Fists and American Gangster). She is a very big personality. She's loud and aggressive, and in-your-face. She's the opposite of Alejandro who is shy, soft-spoken and meek. She's also very verbal and verbose. She talks a mile a minute and complains constantly. She's basically the ultimate "Karen." If you don't know what a "Karen" is, it's the name given to any Caucasian woman who complains at any business, about any service, and typically does so to minorities in what is often perceived as racist.
Torres attempts to negate the racist aspect by making Elizabeth's husband a Black man. It's more than tokenism. The film gives space to Elizabeth and Bobby depicting their relationship as a true, loving one where these two oddballs or literally odd eggs understand each other. The film though is about Elizabeth finding that same or similar understanding with Alejandro, pulling him out of his shell, and making him more like her. He does push back and the inventive ways that Torres and Swinton go toe-to-toe is powerful.
I don't totally agree with the advice and ideology that is Alejandro's takeaway or lesson learned from Elizabeth. Basically, Alejandro's takeaway is to be more of a "Karen." His lesson is to be more pushy, more persistent and basically cause more problems with people in order to get what you want from them. He learns to complain more. Helping Alejandro overcome his shyness and stand up for himself is one thing, but it seems as if Elizabeth complains just to complain when she's capable of addressing her own issues without unleashing vitriol onto someone else.
The film ends on a note that allows Alejandro to have a legitimate complaint, which gives him legitimate leverage. The majority of the time Elizabeth has no such leverage. Most, if not all her complaints are illegitimate. She does have justified grievances, but she mostly seems like a ball of chaos, a veritable monster, which is possibly the point, that maybe we can learn from the monster. Finally, shout out to Laith Nakli (Ramy), a British-Syrian actor in his 50's who used to be a bodybuilder and has a very interesting screen presence. Nakli plays Alejandro's free legal counsel. I only wish the film had done more with him.
Rated R for some language and sexual content.
Running Time: 1 hr. and 44 mins.
In theaters.
