Strange Way of Life

  Before Ang Lee eventually picked it up, the screenplay of Brokeback Mountain landed on the desk of a very different director. Pedro Almodóvar considered it for a moment, but eventually turned down the project, fearing that Hollywood and its audiences wouldn’t be ready for what his version of the film would turn out to be. Almodóvar’s main motivation behind Strange Way of Life was to finally bring to the screen his interpretation, or at least what that interpretation could have been. Alas, we will always remain asking ourselves what Almodóvar’s Brokeback Mountain could have looked like, since not only does little of this short film mirror the iconic romance, but it also has stunningly little to say.

In Strange Way of Life, Silva (Pedro Pascal) arrives at Bitter Creek to ask sheriff Jake (Ethan Hawke) for a personal favor disguised under the premise of reuniting with an old friend. While they have dinner, the audience discovers that both men previously had an affair 25 years ago during a trip to Mexico. Next morning, Jake uncovers Silva’s real motive and confronts him. There are a few flashbacks, but they add little to the story that the audience hadn’t already figured out on their own. For a short film, time is precious, especially when that time could’ve been spent developing their relationship. Alas, this film insists on instead drawing stars and flowers around the premise of it. The brightest of those stars are his collaborations with Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello and his outstanding production design and art decoration team that add color, texture and life to the dry, dull desert.

It seems fitting that Pedro Almodóvar decided to film his western short film Strange Way of Life in the deserts of Almería, Spain, a place that once was witness to the never-ending shootings of spaghetti western films during the 60s and 70s but has now faded into oblivion, a place now living off of past glory days. It seems fitting because here, Almodóvar seems far more interested in the superficial elements of the western to set a basis for his story than the necessary and complete development of any of them. It’s better to show than tell, but very little here indicates that there is a story to tell.

The film’s emotional impact on its audience relies on the relationship of Silva and Jake. The heart of this film is intended to be their romance and the survival of that flame through time. Because of this, the film hinges on its 2 lead performances. Ethan Hawke is the clear standout here, as Pedro Pascal unfortunately comes across as confusing and unbalanced. Their chemistry is nonexistent and sadly fails the already slight narrative. In the pivotal final scene, what should be an emotional climax leaves you cold and wanting more, with the only element bearing any resemblance to the warmth Almodóvar wants you to feel being the beautifully haunting score by Alberto Iglesias.

This isn’t the first time Pedro Almodóvar has directed in the English language. He was originally set to direct A Manual for Cleaning Women, but after production wrapped, it was announced he had stepped away from the film to focus on other projects. Almodóvar decided to use A Strange Way of Life to practice directing in English, and it doesn’t come as a surprise. Something gets lost in translation here, even if he tries his best to navigate through the web of writing and directing in a foreign language — his dialogue isn’t as sharp and the performances fail to feel as charismatic or honest as those in his previous projects. From a certain distance, the painting looks impeccable. But the closer you get, the easier it becomes to see the cracks of dry paint, and behind it, a red chalk sketch that is hard to make sense of.

6/10