TMS Movie Review: Strange Way of Life
(Mubi / Sony Pictures)
After years of wishing, praying and hoping the pride of Spain’s film industry, Pedro Almodóvar, would eventually experiment with making a film in Hollywood; he gets halfway there with his new picture, Strange Way of Life. With screen stars Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal, we have an English language western that seems to be somewhat influenced by Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain (2005). Featuring three respected names attached to the 30 minute short, there is plenty of potential to work with. But something odd happened along the way, and film fans are struggling to put their finger on why Strange Way of Life isn’t completely working for them.
We begin with Silva (Pascal) riding into a small desert town to visit his son, Joe (George Steane). While arriving, he reunites with the local sheriff, Jake (Hawke), who is an old friend from when they were young. But Silva soon discovers Jake isn’t just interested in catching up with Silva, but actually after Joe for allegedly killing the wife of Jake’s brother. In between all this, we also see that the two men were secretly more than just close friends.
(Mubi / Sony Pictures)
Singer-actor Manu Rios makes a cameo appearance at the beginning of the film. ‘Strange’ is definitely an appropriate word for Strange Way of Life, as it’s execution bizarrely feels fake. I’ve seen some compare the short film to an SNL sketch, suggesting it’s unintentionally goofy or phony. I have to agree the direction’s tone feels off, which is odd since Almodóvar is a pro at dark comedy, such as his classic Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988). Hawke and Pascal are great actors, but struggle to spark some chemistry, and their romantic scenes feel gimmicky from awkward dialogue and staging. Again, this is weird because Almodóvar is also gay and has explored this theme on film many times. The most interesting aspect is, despite his reluctance to not shoot in Spanish throughout his career, nearly every word is in English. Ironically though, Strange Way of Life also made me wonder if there was a language barrier for the filmmaker, and maybe his style really does only work in Spanish. A longer runtime would have probably benefited the movie’s quality too, as it feels like the plot was rushed to fit into only 30 minutes.
Pedro Almodóvar is clearly talented and has made some great films over the years, including my personal favorite Volver (2006). But Strange Way of Life sadly misfires and just makes us wish it had landed better.