NYFF Review: Strange Way of Life

It’s hard not to get a little giddy when you read the names Pedro Almodóvar, Ethan Hawke, and Pedro Pascal in the same sentence as “gay western.” Anyone familiar with the iconic Spanish director’s work was probably imagining scenes in their head starring two of pop culture’s favorite daddies the second the short film was announced. Now that it’s finally here, the biggest surprise of all is that Almodóvar doesn’t really have many tricks up his sleeve here. Aside from his usual ones, of course.

At just 31 minutes, Strange Way of Life moves fast, skipping along to Alberto Iglesia’s gorgeously rousing score. It’s not long into the film when Jake (Hawke) and Silva (Pascal) reunite after a 25-year period. Flirty as they are, it’s easy to discern from the get-go that one of them is more comfortable with their love affair than the other. They get wine drunk and Jake flip flops between dodging and meeting Silva’s affection. Eventually, Jake’s slow approach from behind to Silva’s longing stare out the window fades out before we fade back into a shot of Silva’s bare ass the next morning.

Pascal, who has spent much of his 2023 screentime as cold father figures on The Last of Us and The Mandalorian, slips right back into the earnest charmer archetype that rocketed him to fame after Game of Thrones. Against a more impenetrable, gruff, and unusually dull Hawke, Pascal rescues the central relationship from Almodóvar’s perhaps miscalculated brevity.

Short films would ideally appeal to mass audiences as a legitimate extension of going to the cinema, with more commercial rewards in tow, which makes it feel unjust to wish for more here when so many filmmakers’ short-form work goes unseen. But there is a sense that Strange Way of Life may have worked better at feature length. With more time to flesh out this dynamic, the talents of Pascal and Hawke may have blossomed into an undeniable chemistry. The questioning of masculine archetypes that pushes the characters away from each other after a great reunion could have been explored deeper.

Instead, we’re treated to Almodóvar’s signature comedic melodrama when conflict arises as Jake, the sheriff around these parts, makes it clear he intends to kill Silva’s son for a crime he’s been accused of. As the pair separate to track down the boy, we’re treated to sexy and playful flashbacks to their youth that add steam but not a whole lot of substance to the film’s already short runtime. Again, perhaps at feature length these could have been used to illustrate something more concrete. But alas, before you know it, we’ve reached the film’s quick, albeit comfortably satisfying, ending.

The auteur’s longer features have almost always been able to weave his artistic signatures with something deeper or more emotionally resonant. The results here, while generally nice, are a little too modest to entirely live up to the project’s overall potential. Strange Way of Life may not be disappointing per se, but for the morsel that it is combined with its genre gimmicks and limited ambitions, it can feel like an extended Super Bowl ad for film nerds.