Estranha Forma de Vida

Several hundred people turned up at this one-night-only cinema screening and very, very few of us appreciated that is was only going to be half an hour long!! "Silva" (Pedro Pascal) rides half way across the desert to meet up with his old pal "Jake" (Ethan Hawke) who is the local sheriff. It's pretty clear from the get-go that there is a degree of personal baggage between the pair and that the true purpose of the visit is more than to relight old candles and have a good old reminisce... It's OK, this - nothing more. A testament to the drawing power of Almodóvar and Ethan Hawke to watch what is essentially a non-story that tells a little by way of flashback but for the most part just shows us a glimpse of something not especially interesting or unique. Looks good enough but I left a little disappointed and certainly underwhelmed.

'Strange way of life' is an English-speaking short film directed by one of the most prominent Spanish directors ever... who does not speak English. How (and why) this amateur piece of work with such bad writing, astoundingly dumb dialogues and even mediocre cinematography got produced and released theatrically is beyond me.

The story it's, most of the time, the same nonsensical exposition over and over. It hopes to trick the audience into believing there's a deep conflict, a sad story of tormented lovers and forbidden love, but there's none. The chemistry is just not there. The clumsy flashback scene is utterly ludicrous.

This film is something I would expect from a pretentious student at film school, a self-proclaimed artist who tries to write something deep just to show how smart they are, but fails because they don't know anything about it. However, it's not. It's a film by Pedro Almodóvar. Not worth the time, much less the cost of a full-length movie ticket.

I remember watching the trailers for "A Strange Way of Life" months ago and very much anticipating this movie. I tracked the release through Spain and other countries before it came around to the United States.

Though the movie is a short film, it was very interesting to watch, however not enough gay scenes to even portray being gay in the old west. I may watch it again, however my expectations have been lowered at this point.

My recommendation? Definitely watch it as it is a good movie! I'm even thinking of watching it again - which shows how good the movie stands on its own. For those who are sensitive to gay drama and themes, you have nothing to worry about with this movie. Gay is insinuated, but not completely played-out.

With its bold colours, heightened melodrama and clunky dialogue, 'Strange Way Of Life (2023)' often feels like a parody of... itself, I guess. Those already accustomed to Pedro Almodóvar's work will recognise these elements, as well as the sincere camp aesthetic they contribute to. However, here it doesn't cohere as well as it typically does in the director's other movies. Perhaps his dialogue has always been this dodgy but, not being a native Spanish speaker, I haven't picked up on it; either way, even actors as good as Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal struggle to sell the dialogue here. Still, the piece operates on a kind of down-to-Earth unreality that just about works. A bigger issue is that the story just... ends. Like, almost in the middle of a sentence. It feels as though the screenplay was still being written when Yves Saint Laurent's production company called and offered a green light on the condition that filming started almost then and there, so Almodóvar put down his pen and picked up his viewfinder and shot what he had. There's a lot more that could have been done with this tale of long-burning, societally repressed romance; the ending feels like the midpoint of a much more affecting feature-length affair. Another smaller issue with the flick is that it's nowhere near as erotically charged as you may expect. Hawke and Pascal do a good job at conveying their barely hidden attraction for one another, and there's a sense of tragedy that underlines their once-flourishing relationship, but they display no real physical connection and the only time they get hot and heavy is in a flashback (when their characters are portrayed by younger actors). Their connection is believable, but not as fleshed out as it could have been. It's also remarkably tame if you're familiar with Almodóvar's earlier efforts. Ultimately, though, the piece is entertaining enough for what it is. It has a solid central story that's underexplored but interesting, and two strong lead performances that lend authenticity to the generally clumsy screenplay. It's not a bad effort, by any means. It's just not as moving, or fun, as I'd like it to be.

It's literally a short film. Only half an hour and the ending leaves you perplexed and wondering what is it the director wanted to say or is it just a window into the hidden love and lust of cowboys for each other in times past. The acting leaves alot to be desired and the plot I found to be overly simplistic. There are some scenes of passion especially the younger actors who in flashbacks of both the sheriff and this ex lover share their love and passion for each other in a wine drinking splashing rolling moment in the movie. Plus a very short sequence of the older ones in bed together after they have dinner. This short film reminded me of back mountain and thinking why this one too wasn't made into something on par in depth and sophistication with that. In one word it was disappointing.