strange way of life, the new short film by Pedro Almodóvar that debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in May of this year, represents an exciting challenge for the director, as it is his second work in a language other than Spanish and his first foray into an inspired setting in the westerns of old Hollywood. Through this work, the director continues to explore recurring themes in his filmography, such as complex romantic relationships, the past and betrayal.
The short film, with a duration of just 31 minutes, is considered the “answer” to Almodóvar to the film Secret in the mountain, a project he turned down more than 15 years ago and which was eventually directed by Ang Lee. His reason for rejecting it was clear: despite telling a homosexual love story, it lacked the sexual element that, for the filmmaker, was essential to narrate the main romance. With strange way of lifethe Spanish director ventures to create his own story, expressing his vision in a more authentic way and faithful to his style.
The work presents the Sheriff of a small town in the middle of the desert (Hawke), who receives notice that Silva, a friend from his youth (Pascal) has returned to town without any explanation. It is later revealed that the two men have different interests surrounding a criminal case in which a young man murdered a woman. As they navigate the conflict, they both remember the passionate romance they had in the past. Silva seems more eager to remember him, but Jake definitely prefers to leave his story behind him.
Almodóvar went in depth with EL PAÍS about the choice of Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal for the main roles. The director described the characters of Sheriff Jake and Silva in his script as an absolute portrait of these two talented actors. He also expressed his joy for his participation, since he needed two actors who were completely opposite, even in physical terms, and who represented two different cultures. In his own words, “One is cold, hermetic Anglo-Saxon, and the other is the opposite: warm, truculent… unafraid to talk about his desires.” For the director, Pascal and Hawke were the perfect choice: “They are perfect for the roles,” and he says of their work on screen: “They are both superb.”
The director of classics like Everything about my mother and Women at the edge of a nervous attack He was also enthusiastic about the opportunity that this project gave Pedro Pascal to demonstrate his versatility as an actor. He recognized that most of Pascal’s successes had come through interpretations of epic roles (as seen in the HBO series game of Thrones and The Last of Us, which lacked the tenderness that this new character required. Almodóvar felt that this film would allow Pascal to show his acting range in a different way.
As for Ethan Hawke, Almodóvar admitted that the actor exceeded his expectations. Although he noticed differences in the way Hollywood and Spanish actors worked, they adapted to collaborate in the best way possible. The director nominated for an Oscar for his film Parallel Mothers He mentioned that he had them rehearse more than they were used to, and in front of the camera, both actors demonstrated surprising growth from rehearsals. The experience of working with them was, in the director’s words, “fantastic.”
The short film—which is currently in theaters—is a worthy addition to Almodóvar’s filmography, and shows his interest in exploring different ways of telling stories. Although at times the Western scenario feels implausible and the tension between the actors could increase with a longer duration, in 30 minutes it tells a solid story with a very clear message that reminds us of the director’s constant mission: to show us different “strange” ways of life”, and make us feel the same emotions as its protagonists.
Subscribe here to the newsletter from EL PAÍS Mexico and receive all the key information on current events in this country
#Pedro #Almodóvar #explains #Pedro #Pascal #Ethan #Hawke #perfect #Strange #Life