Strange Way of Life [Extraña forma de vida] ** (2023, Ethan Hawke, Pedro Pascal, George Steane, Manu Ríos) – Classic Movie Review 12,663

Pedro Almodóvar’s Western short film Strange Way of Life is over-produced and under-realised, with a lot of expertise put into something so simple and flimsy. But Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal go to it with great conviction, and it looks and sounds smart.

Chilean actor Pedro Pascal stars as middle-aged good guy Silva, who rides his horse across the desert into town to visit his old, intimately close friend Jake (Ethan Hawke), now a Sheriff, after a gap of 25 years since they separated.

The duo cautiously, and suspiciously, celebrate their reunion with a meal, a drink and, apparently some love making (though we don’t see this) during the night. But the next morning Jake admits that main reason for his arrival is not to recall or rekindle their friendship. It is to plead for the life of his son Joe (George Steane), whom Jake wants to bring in on a charge of murder.

It could be the start of something brilliant. But writer-director Pedro Almodóvar’s 2023 Spanish/ French Western drama short film Strange Way of Life [Extraña forma de vida] is a baffling experience. It is over-produced and under-realised, with a lot of high quality expertise, talent, time and effort put into something so simple and flimsy. It’s basically just a three-hander. It could be a one-act stage play, but, no, it’s a full-blown, over-blown film. Its final message is sweet and sentimental but so obvious it hurts. Maybe there’s a satisfying full-length film trying to get out from this undernourished, unsatisfying effort. There’s a lot of dialogue, it’s kind of all dialogue, and kind of okay dialogue, gift wrapped.

On the other hand, Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal go to it with great commitment and conviction, and it sure looks and sounds smart, thanks to cinematographer José Luis Alcaine and composer Alberto Iglesias. The gift wrapping is lovely. I guess it’s meant to be an homage to Sixties Spaghetti Westerns, but with a gay twist. There’s more work needed on the screenplay, but a full-length film version could sort that out. It could run like a new take on One Eyed Jacks.

It runs 31 minutes.

It was shot between August and September 2022 in Southern Spain, in the Tabernas Desert, the only desert of Spain and Europe, located in Spain’s south-eastern province of Almería.

It is produced by Almodóvar’s El Deseo Production company in association with Yves Saint Laurent, whose head designer Anthony Vaccarello is associate producer and costume designer.

It is named after a 1960s Portuguese fado song by Amália Rodrigues.

Strange Way of Life premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on 17 May 2023 and was released theatrically in Spain on 26 May 2023 by BTeam Pictures. Sony Pictures Classics released the film in the US on 6 October 2023.

Almodóvar says: ‘It has the kind of dialogue that I don’t think a Western film has ever captured between two men.’

The cast are Ethan Hawke as Sheriff Jake, Pedro Pascal as Silva, José Condessa as young Silva, Jason Fernández as young Jake, Sara Sálamo as Conchita, Pedro Casablanc as Carpenter, George Steane as Joe, Manu Ríos as Singer, Oihana Cueto as Calixta, and Daniela Medina as Patricia.

© Derek Winnert 2023 – Classic Movie Review 12,663

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