Pedro Pascal’s only 2023 movie is a Western called Strange Way of Life, and there are plenty of reasons to be excited about the short film. The latest from Oscar winner Pedro Almodóvar, Strange Way of Life is the Spanish writer-director’s first short since 2020’s The Human Voice, which starred Tilda Swinton and marked his English-language debut. Taking cues from the success of that release, Almodóvar is applying his English-language filmmaking success to a new genre: the Western.
Known for acclaimed feature films like All About My Mother, Talk to Her, and Volver, among many others, Almodóvar makes waves with every cinematic effort — no matter the runtime or genre. Pedro Almodóvar’s best movies explore themes of queerness, masculinity, and isolation, and Strange Way of Life is no exception. The short film, which stars Hollywood actors Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal, is already making waves. While Pascal dominated television in 2023 with the debut of HBO’s The Last of Us and the release of The Mandalorian season 3, Strange Way of Life proves the actor is a force to be reckoned with on the big screen.
Why Pedro Pascal’s Strange Way Of Life Short Film Is So Exciting
Strange Way of Life is already shaping up to be one of the best of Pedro Pascal’s movies. In the short, the actor plays a gunslinger who isn’t too far off from Pascal’s other notable roles. However, the Western doesn’t see him going up against mutated undead or power-hungry space warlords. Instead, Strange Way of Life is a deeply personal, character-driven film. After a 25-year gap, Pascal’s Silva rides into the desert to see Ethan Hawke’s Sheriff Jake. While the two celebrate their reunion at first, nostalgia is meant to be the focus of their meeting.
Part of what makes Strange Way of Life so exciting is that it’s finally given Pedro Almodóvar the space to make a queer Western. Notably, he passed on directing 2005’s Brokeback Mountain, later explaining that he felt he wouldn’t have been able to make the adaptation he envisioned at the time (via The Independent). The director described Strange Way of Life as a “queer Western” but “in the sense that there are two men, and they love each other” (via Gay Times). With Pedro Pascal and Ethan Hawke leading the queer Western, it’s only getting more buzz, allowing Almodóvar’s exploration of masculinity in the traditionally masculine genre to reach even more viewers.
Where To Watch Strange Way Of Life
Dubbed by the director as his “answer to Brokeback Mountain,” Strange Way of Life debuted at Cannes in May 2023 and made its North America premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. In the U.S., the 31-minute short will receive a limited release on October 4, debuting first in theaters in New York and Los Angeles. On October 6, Strange Way of Life will crop up in theaters nationwide, though it won’t be showing everywhere, despite its star power. While a U.S. streaming date hasn’t been set, Strange Way of Life will debut on MUBI in certain regions, including Italy and Latin America, on October 20, 2023.
Sources: The Independent, Gay Times
