Among the important scenes strange way of life, pedro pascalOutlaw Silva reminds Ethan Hawke’s Sheriff Jake of a conversation they had 25 years ago. “Years ago you asked me what two men could do living together on a ranch,” Silva whispered. This is the core of Pedro Almodovar’s queer western short story (a story of former lovers reuniting and reminiscing on the brink of inevitable conflict) and the film’s raison d’être.
About 20 years ago, Almodovar got the opportunity to direct his next film. Brokeback Mountain — an iconic and tragic drama about two ranchers who fall in love, eventually directed by Ang Lee. However, the Spanish master rejected the project. Quotation He fears Hollywood won’t give him the freedom he needs to capture two men consumed by love and “animal” lust. His half-hour cinematic response, which opens in theaters October 4, has yet to reach the landmark of Lee’s Oscar win or the emotional high points of his filmography. It often seems to be torn between hastily truncated features and overly long conceptual fragments. But despite the unpolished structure and the unwieldy dialogue that tries to bridge the dramatic gaps, Almodovar’s passion for the project is fully evident, as is the aforementioned carnality he once wanted to bring. bankruptcy.
What really sells the film, both as a drama in its own right and as a metatextual story about regret, is Hawke’s thoughtful and profound performance. His portrayal of Jake proves once again that he is that rare American actor who feels as if he belongs in the world of high art cinema, a few oceans away while kissing the Hollywood mainstream. in strange way of life, A Spanish production masquerading as a classic Western, it gave him the stylistic balance he deserved. This could be a career-defining performance, even if the film in question is full of imperfections.
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Almodovar sets the tone for a cowboy romance.
Credit: Photo by Nico Bustos. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.
It’s hard to avoid the feeling that strange way of life Most of the story is unknown. We are introduced to Jake, who begins investigating a murder that occurred off-screen. It is here that Lone Rider Silva invades his small village to have a drink with him. The stilted dialogue fills in the blanks about who’s doing it and why, awkwardly revealing the two’s connection to the event, but these details quickly (if not gracefully) form an emotional wall between the two. Despite meeting each other for the first time in decades, they barely make eye contact. Before long, the quieter moments of the film take over and the exposition temporarily fades into the background.
With emotional efficiency, Almodóvar weaves an entire world around Jake and Silva, even though the film is confined to a few rooms. The frame dwells on details and objects. Jake’s bed, the underwear drawer that Silva is looking at with interest, and Silva’s old handkerchief that Jake keeps as a keepsake, are introduced through isolated scenes that emphasize their great importance to the former couple and brief dialogue that hints at the reasons why. This relationship must remain private.
but, strange way of life It doesn’t mention the illicit nature of Jake and Silva’s romance. It is simply a given and tragic that they must remain closed off in the Old West. It’s a specific, unchanging backdrop that creates new problems when the two find themselves on opposite sides of the law. In the process, the objects Jake and Silva look at with longing become physical reminders of something intangible, a love that was once true but could never become fully real.
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Ethan Hawke surpasses Pedro Pascal. A strange way of life.
Credit: Desire. Photo courtesy of Iglesias Más, courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
strange way of life I have no complaints about the Wild West being a tough territory for outlaws. The physical tenderness that Jake and Silva share therefore feels like a precious gem peeking out from the harsh, harsh desert sands. The confrontation between the two is lengthy, but it reveals longing and unspoken regret through silence. Not only when our eyes meet, but also when we quickly look away as if dancing along with specific events from the past is the only way forward. Stop long-buried heartbreak.
At just 30 minutes long, the short film doesn’t have time to show us what it’s like when all the pain comes to the forefront, other than a moment when Hawke tries to bury the pain but briefly loses control. Almodóvar’s melodrama — a signature telenovela artifact. — Here it builds, but doesn’t completely explode. But Hawke spends all of his screen time getting to the point of uncontrollable anger and guilt, guiding both Jake’s actions and inactions. His voice becomes increasingly hoarse and increasingly painful. It seems as if Silva’s mere presence, a reminder of his past, is too much of a burden for him. Hawke’s work is amazing to look at.
Pascal is by no means a minor player, but sadly Silva gets the lion’s share of the “Hey, that time—” dialogue, while Jake can remember almost all of it. Silva’s motivations unfortunately only become clear in hindsight, which can make him difficult to read when you first read them. However, upon return visit strange way of life Second, it reveals layers to Pascal’s performance that may be unclear at first glance. It’s a film whose limited runtime obfuscates much of its drama before leaving it scattered haphazardly on the floor like stray LEGO bricks. But once Pascal begins to pick up the pieces, the film’s emotional mystery begins to fall into place.
Despite the truncated length, Hawke and Pascal weave the entire history together through interactions, hesitant gestures, and brief but passionate physical encounters. Almodóvar and cinematographer José Luis Alcaine’s camera unabashedly captures older people trying to fulfill both the violent and romantic fantasies of young people. The close-up of the heavy eyes speaks of life, and the wrinkles around the eyes suggest that they laughed both together and apart. But what helps solidify this idea is the glimpses into the past in brief flashback scenes that further synthesize this theme and make it truly felt rather than just said.
strange way of life It idealizes the past in a haunting way.
Credit: El Deseo. Photo by Nico Bustos. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.
Hawke and Pascal play broken men consumed by regret, while in a small scene from decades ago, Jason Fernandez and Jose Condesa play Jake and Silva. These are young, beautiful men who feel like they belong. It is a modern catwalk rather than a Western one. It was a fitting flourish, as the short was co-financed by fashion house Saint Laurent. But the vibrant brilliance of these flashbacks is more than just eye candy.
This scene, featuring two men, three women, pistols and wine, is full of the unbridled sexual passion that Almodovar spoke of when justifying his decision to leave. Brokeback Mountain. It’s less graphic than Lee’s final film, but arguably more passionate and addictive. It’s practically bacchanalian, bringing Jake and Silva’s past to life in a way that doesn’t seem to make sense in the present.
This disconnect between words and images that paint a picture of the past sometimes robs the film of its power. Flashbacks only take up a portion of the 30-minute run time. And Silva sees their past selves, their romance, and who they have become now. strange way of life never in the same league Almodovar’s pain and glory, It treads similar territory about regret, but has much more poetic and emotional weight. Jake and Silva’s words, on the other hand, are clunky and capture meaning that doesn’t quite add up. However, the images depicting the past are pure and make the current situation even more depressing.
In fact, the film’s visual language uses close-ups of the two men to draw us in and out of these flashbacks. It’s as if we’re witnessing a shared fantasy rather than the subjective memories of the two characters. It depicts emotions and physical sensations that can never be recaptured. It is the memory of the film itself rather than the memory of any one person, and brings to mind echoes of what Almodovar might have envisioned many years ago. Brokeback Mountain This unique editing approach frames these images as an idealization of a film that never existed and could never have existed. It now exists only as a fantasy of the older and wiser. Even if the film doesn’t have the time or bandwidth to fully explore this instinct, one is probably living with artistic regret.
strange way of life It may be modest in its runtime and overall scope, but it delivers some undeniably powerful moments thanks to its bold performances and features a look toward a potentially imperfect past depicted with a sense of impossible perfection. It’s the kind of filmmaking in which Almodovar excels, and the kind that makes his brief foray into the West so watchable and fascinating.
strange way of life Currently streaming on Netflix.
Updated: April 12, 2024, 9:00 AM EDT Strange Way of Life was reviewed at the New York Film Festival. This review was re-run for its Netflix debut.