Premiering Out of Competition at the Cannes Film Festival 2023, Pedro Almodovar’s latest work finally lands on Mubi, where it is available to watch from October 20th.
The 30-minutes short film confirms the success of the famous Spanish director in this format – that is not very usual for him since he’s mostly known for his long features, but that has already granted him a lot of success not a long time ago, as proved by the extraordinary The Human Voice (2020). Even thanks to the stunning performance of Tilda Swinton, the 30-minutes film broke the record for the highest grossing short film in Spain. Furthermore, it’s Almodovar’s first film in English.
Strange Way of Life is the second one, nominated for the Queer Palm at Cannes for its depiction of an ancient love between two middle-aged men, which resurfaces unexpectedly. Ethan Hawks and Pedro Pascal respectively portray Jake – the distinguished and dignified sheriff of the town of Bitter Creek – and Silva – a mysterious cowboy with Latin charm. Twenty-five years separate their brief yet intense love story, which unfolded over two months filled with wine, prostitutes, and gunshots, and was never entirely extinguished. Silva crosses the desert to reunite with his old flame – the man who chose his current career over a life together on a ranch. They haven’t seen each other since that time.
Two laws collide in this short work, which occasionally takes on a Tarantino-esque taste: the law of love and the legal one. Silva has returned not only because he is obsessed with thoughts of his old lover but also to advocate for his son, who is the prime suspect in the passionate murder of Jake’s young sister-in-law.
It is clear that each initially fulfils the role expected of them: if Jake aligns himself with the law, the other chooses love, protecting a son he does not particularly admire. However, in reality, both meet halfway. The cowboy deliberately misses his aim to avoid fatally injuring the sheriff, and then tends to his wounds with care. Meanwhile, the sheriff gradually cherishes a long-suppressed dream. Above all, he receives an answer to a question that had been left unanswered for so long. “Years ago, you asked me what two men living together on a ranch could do. Well, I’ll answer you now. They can look after one another, protect each other. They can keep each other company.”
The ending abruptly cuts off, unexpectedly, with Ethan Hawke’s gaze out of the window. A smile as he watches the horses chasing each other in a pen. We do not know what he will choose to do. Will he report his old lover, now technically an enemy, or will he embrace his evident desire for love and stay with Silva, taking care of each other, keeping each other company?
The strength of a film that is in some ways a bit too obvious, is actually encapsulated in this extremely impactful and rapid ending, which in a matter of seconds and without many words, tells us much more than the remaining thirty minutes.
Strange Way of Life is a work that certainly cannot be counted among Almodovar’s best, but still contains interesting elements, orchestrated with tones that differ somewhat from his usual narrative themes.
An intriguing and distinctive queer western.
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