Elisa Giudici reporting from Cannes
Pedro Pascal and Ethan Hawke as lovers in "Strange Way of Life". © Sony Pictures Classics
After 25 years, two former hired guns meet again in a small town in the Far West. After crossing the desert, Silva (Pedro Pascal) arrives at Bitter Creek where his old friend and ex-lover Jake (Ethan Hawke) has become sheriff. The two share a dinner and then a night of passion, but as they make the bed together (a tender first time in Western movies history, according to the director) hidden meanings, old wounds, and possible hidden agendas on both sides emerge in a heated discussion.
As usual, 30 minutes of Almodovar can be more impactful and memorable than three hour from other auteurs...
He is a masterful writer, even in short form; a couple of lines of dialogue suffice to create an intricate web of passion, loyalty, and jealousy, reimagining many Western topics in his own style. The Spanish director took his current film on on a whim with the help of another high fashion brand (Saint Laurent and Anthony Vaccarello, who design the vibrant costumes).
Strange Way of Life is the result of one of his main regrets as a director: passing on Brokeback Mountain’s adaptation. In addition, he was inspired by his irritated reaction to allusive yet sexless American queer westerns such as The Power of the Dog. It is also, in a sense, a follow-up to his own Pain & Glory -- a reflection on how passion and love evolve when lovers age apart after a short, lustful period of time in their youth.
His take on the Western genre is surprisingly on point: Almodóvar sews together all the visual and narrative topoi of Western movies, turning them into a pure Almodovarian quilt, closer to Hitchcock than to Ford or Leone. The final abrupt scene is the only thing that disappoints in the sense that it appears clear that Almodóvar had an entire 2-hour film in him. Given what Pedro Pascal and Ethan Hawke are giving, we deserve more of it.
Pedro Pascal's Silva is so lovable and persuasive that it seems impossible that Ethan Hawke’s sheriff Jake once rejected him. Silva pushes memories and offers possible solutions to the duo. On the other hand, Jake views the past as a mistake made by two drunken young boys. Hawke does a superb job once again. When his characters struggle with morality, as in First Reformed, he projects so much while saying very little. It is evident that both actors put all their trust and confidence in the director and the master returns the confidence, create a sensual yet ironic and tense atmosphere... all in thirty minutes. While Strange Way of Life is too short and limited to be more than a promise of a greater feature, it is surely a treat nonetheless.
Other Cannes 2023 Reviews
- Jeanne Du Barry (opening film)
- A Brighter Tomorrow (competition film)
- Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (out of competition)