Strange Way of Life

It's literally a short film. Only half an hour and the ending leaves you perplexed and wondering what is it the director wanted to say or is it just a window into the hidden love and lust of cowboys for each other in times past. The acting leaves alot to be desired and the plot I found to be overly simplistic. There are some scenes of passion especially the younger actors who in flashbacks of both the sheriff and this ex lover share their love and passion for each other in a wine drinking splashing rolling moment in the movie. Plus a very short sequence of the older ones in bed together after they have dinner. This short film reminded me of back mountain and thinking why this one too wasn't made into something on par in depth and sophistication with that. In one word it was disappointing.

This was a promotional short by Saint Laurent, and that makes sense. It goes hand-in-hand with Almodovar's heightened, melodramatic style, so the fashionable cowboy cliches didn't mess with the verisimilitude of the story.

Unfortunately, the dialogue suffers from being absurdly expositional, and not in an intentionally comedic way. It's understandable at first, because it's a short, and you want to give it some slack for this, but then there's a flashback scene that goes on for 3 minutes longer than it needs to.

The acting by everyone besides Hawke and Pascal is very mid. Their characters had a really deep and interesting relationship that could have easily sustained a hundred minute flick, but with the time-constraints, that depth can't be explored well enough.

Could have been something genuinely great if this story was given the weight and space to breathe it deserves.

The ending is also rushed and just stops.

With its bold colours, heightened melodrama and clunky dialogue, 'Strange Way Of Life (2023)' often feels like a parody of... itself, I guess. Those already accustomed to Pedro Almodóvar's work will recognise these elements, as well as the sincere camp aesthetic they contribute to. However, here it doesn't cohere as well as it typically does in the director's other movies. Perhaps his dialogue has always been this dodgy but, not being a native Spanish speaker, I haven't picked up on it; either way, even actors as good as Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal struggle to sell the dialogue here. Still, the piece operates on a kind of down-to-Earth unreality that just about works. A bigger issue is that the story just... ends. Like, almost in the middle of a sentence. It feels as though the screenplay was still being written when Yves Saint Laurent's production company called and offered a green light on the condition that filming started almost then and there, so Almodóvar put down his pen and picked up his viewfinder and shot what he had. There's a lot more that could have been done with this tale of long-burning, societally repressed romance; the ending feels like the midpoint of a much more affecting feature-length affair. Another smaller issue with the flick is that it's nowhere near as erotically charged as you may expect. Hawke and Pascal do a good job at conveying their barely hidden attraction for one another, and there's a sense of tragedy that underlines their once-flourishing relationship, but they display no real physical connection and the only time they get hot and heavy is in a flashback (when their characters are portrayed by younger actors). Their connection is believable, but not as fleshed out as it could have been. It's also remarkably tame if you're familiar with Almodóvar's earlier efforts. Ultimately, though, the piece is entertaining enough for what it is. It has a solid central story that's underexplored but interesting, and two strong lead performances that lend authenticity to the generally clumsy screenplay. It's not a bad effort, by any means. It's just not as moving, or fun, as I'd like it to be.

I am reviewing because there are so many negative reviews. Thought this was a beautiful glimpse into the universe of some beautifully portrayed characters. Both Ethan and Pedro did a great job. I loved their chemistry. Pedro especially was very moving in his role. This short film packed a heavy emotional punch for me and I would love to see it as a feature film. (as for the negative reviews, if you have to say you're not homophobic in your review, you probably are). As for the complaints about the use of the green jacket. I loved it, loved all the costuming. It made Pedro's character stand out, which I assume was the point.

'Strange way of life' is an English-speaking short film directed by one of the most prominent Spanish directors ever... who does not speak English. How (and why) this amateur piece of work with such bad writing, astoundingly dumb dialogues and even mediocre cinematography got produced and released theatrically is beyond me.

The story it's, most of the time, the same nonsensical exposition over and over. It hopes to trick the audience into believing there's a deep conflict, a sad story of tormented lovers and forbidden love, but there's none. The chemistry is just not there. The clumsy flashback scene is utterly ludicrous.

This film is something I would expect from a pretentious student at film school, a self-proclaimed artist who tries to write something deep just to show how smart they are, but fails because they don't know anything about it. However, it's not. It's a film by Pedro Almodóvar. Not worth the time, much less the cost of a full-length movie ticket.