Genre: Western | Short Film | Queer Romance | Drama
Strange Way of Life is a short yet evocative Western that stands out for its style, star power, and the bold intimacy simmering beneath its dusty, sunlit surface. Directed by Spanish auteur Pedro Almodóvar, this 2023 film is a rare foray into the Western genre for the filmmaker—and it reimagines the classic cowboy mythos with the colorful, emotional depth that only Almodóvar could bring.
At its heart are two aging gunmen—Silva (Pedro Pascal) and Sheriff Jake (Ethan Hawke)—whose paths cross again after twenty-five years apart. Silva rides across the desert to visit Jake under the guise of an old friendship, but what begins as a reunion quickly reveals buried truths and unresolved desire. The sparse story plays out like a whispered confession—two tough men confronting not only an old crime but the fragile, unspoken connection that’s survived decades of distance.
Almodóvar’s direction infuses this short Western with vivid color and sensual tension that clash beautifully with the genre’s dusty, rugged traditions. The film feels like an answer—maybe even a playful rebuke—to Brokeback Mountain, a film Almodóvar famously turned down directing decades ago. Here, he finally tells a cowboy love story on his own terms: unapologetically queer, fleeting, and defiant of the stoic masculinity that classic Westerns so often mythologize.
Both Pascal and Hawke are excellent, capturing all the ache and longing that their hardened characters try to mask beneath their gruff words and weathered silence. The film doesn’t linger on sweeping action or drawn-out shootouts—it’s more about stolen glances, unspoken apologies, and the sharp ache of what could have been.
Visually, Strange Way of Life is as lush and composed as you’d expect from Almodóvar, with costumes by Saint Laurent’s Anthony Vaccarello adding a stylized, almost operatic edge to the dusty Western backdrop. The music, the set pieces, and the burning Spanish desert where it was filmed all add to its mood of nostalgia and regret.
At just around 30 minutes, this is more a haunting poem than a sprawling saga, but its power lies in what it leaves unsaid. It asks what happens when old cowboys find themselves facing not just the past, but the truths they never dared to speak under wide Western skies.
Strange Way of Life is a bold, unconventional addition to Almodóvar’s body of work—and to the Western genre itself. It’s a brief but memorable meditation on love, masculinity, and the strange ways we circle back to the people who once made us feel most alive. For fans of Almodóvar’s lush, unapologetic storytelling, it’s a quiet but resonant treasure.
