Strange Way of Life/The Human Voice: The Short and the Short of Almodovar's Mojo
By Karen Gordon
Rating: B+
It tells you something about the esteem and affection accorded to Spanish film director Pedro Almodóvar that his latest work - a short film running about 30 minutes - is getting a limited theatrical release.
But, of course, a theatrical release for a short film is not just about esteem and affection. Almodovar is a master storyteller, whose character-driven movies are always enjoyable to watch, and inevitably more complicated than just what we see on the surface.
Even in its short running time, Strange Way of Life is in line with all the Almodovar values, and feels like a satisfying short story.
Pedro Pascal and Ethan Hawke are ex-lovers in Almodovar’s neo-Western Strange Way of Life
Strange Way of Life is a Hollywood-style western, with a queer spin.
Ethan Hawke is Jake, the serious, committed sheriff of the town of Bitter Creek. He’s surprised and, in front of his deputy, controls his reaction, cautiously muting his delight when Silva (Pedro Pascal) walks into his office. It’s been about 25 years since the two men have seen each other.
Back then, they were young, hired hands, and hired guns. They were also lovers for a brief period of time, after which they parted and went in different directions in life.
Jake invites Silva home for dinner, and the two reminisce, drink a lot of wine, and spend the night together. But this isn’t the start of something warm. The next morning, we learn more about what’s brought Silva to Jake, and how differently the two feel about what must happen next.
From there the film unfolds in a way that is both straightforward, and eventually more complex as it plays out motives, loyalties, and ultimately the realities of who they are and what they feel. Almodovar is going somewhere with this scenario, and delivers his theme in the short film’s final moments.
Even though this is a short film, nothing is rushed. Both Hawke and Pascal commit to their performances, and as always in Almodovar films, give us solid characters who are easy to care about. The film is grounded and rich.
Strange Way of Life, named after a song by the great Caetano Veloso, is less about the way the men relate to each other, and more about where their choices have brought them.
Almodovar shot the film in parts of Spain, where Spaghetti Westerns were filmed in the ‘60s and ‘70s, but his reference points aren’t those films. He says he was inspired by American movie westerns, and, the look, the feel of the movie is inspired by them.
Strange Way of Life is Almodovar’s second English language short film. It will play as a double bill with his previous English language short, 2020’s The Human Voice, which stars Tilda Swinton.
That film, which also runs for half an hour, is a solo performance by Swinton, filmed during the COVID lockdown.
Swinton plays a woman living in a flat, with her dog, and in some emotional crisis. As the film unfolds, we learn that her partner of four years has left her. He won’t come back to pick his things up, but wants to send an assistant. Swinton, as always, is subtle even with the crisis her character is experiencing, and holds the center of the film beautifully.
As always with Almodovar, the art direction is meticulous and beautiful, a visual character of its own in this short, but satisfying film.
Strange Way of Life. Written and directed by Pedro Almodovar. Starring Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal. The Human Voice stars Tilda Swinton. In limited theatrical release as a double bill starting Friday, October 6. The Human Voice is also streaming on Mubi.