Diary Entry: Apple Support Log #102219051623
Date: June 3, 2024
Shift: Morning
Location: Illegal call Center in India acting as a sub-sub-subcontractor for Apple.
Position: First-Level Technical Support
08:00 AM: Booted up my workstation and settled in for what I expected to be a routine day of solving connectivity issues and password resets. Little did I know, my evening was going to be hijacked by a delightful detour into the world of indie cinema.
09:00 AM: My day took an interesting turn when I received a call from a woman named Elizabeth. She sounded frantic, her British accent unmistakable. She claimed her phone was “possessed” and kept shutting down. I guided her through a hard reset, and she casually mentioned she was an art critic dealing with some “infernal visa issues” for her assistant, Alejandro. Sounded oddly familiar to a film I had just seen.
11:00 AM: Another call from Elizabeth. This time, she was irate about her iCloud storage. “I can’t find Bobby’s paintings anywhere! They’ve disappeared into the cloud, just like him!” It took a bit to calm her down and help her locate her files. As I did, she ranted about the art exhibition she was organizing, which seemed to be drawing more attention for her husband’s cryogenic status than his actual artwork.
02:00 PM: During lunch, I recounted my calls with Elizabeth to a colleague. It was uncanny how her life mirrored the plot of “Problemista.” Alejandro, the beleaguered toy designer, and Elizabeth, the tempestuous art critic, were practically the same characters from the movie. We had a good laugh about the surreal overlap between fiction and reality.
03:00 PM: Elizabeth again. This time, she was dealing with a different crisis: her phone’s flashlight was stuck on. “It’s like a beacon of my frustration!” she exclaimed. While walking her through the settings, she lamented how she had to juggle her chaotic life and Alejandro’s problems. Her description of Alejandro being too timid reminded me of his character’s arc in the film, where he seemed too passive by the end.
04:00 PM: More issues. Elizabeth’s cryogenic app was malfunctioning, giving erroneous updates about Bobby’s pod. “I can’t lose him twice!” she cried. Helping her reset the app, I thought about how the movie’s space chamber VFX was a bit over the top, much like the drama unfolding in Elizabeth’s life.
05:00 PM: My final call with Elizabeth for the day. Her new issue was syncing her calendar with her assistant’s, ensuring they were on the same page for the upcoming exhibition. As we synced her devices, she mused about the people who have everything yet don’t want those who strive to achieve their dreams to succeed—a theme that resonated deeply in “Problemista.”
06:00 PM: Wrapping up my shift, I felt a strange kinship with Alejandro. We both dealt with relentless challenges, albeit his were more dramatic. Reflecting on the film, I appreciated its critical take on U.S. immigration and corporate neglect, themes that echoed Elizabeth’s real-life struggles.
Final Thoughts: “Problemista” is a remarkable film that critiques societal structures while telling a deeply personal story. It highlights the gap between those who have and those who want, wrapped in an amazing narrative. Highly recommend, especially if you want to see Tilda Swinton at her best and appreciate a good blend of surrealism and reality.
End of Log
Note to Self: Recommend “Problemista” to the team during our next meeting. It’s a great reminder of the human element behind every technical issue we handle.
10/10