The first trailer for Strange Way of Life, Pedro Almodóvar’s “answer to Brokeback Mountain”, has arrived – and it’s camp as hell.
The upcoming short Western stars The Mandalorian and The Last of Us alum Pedro Pascal as a gunslinger named Silva, with Ethan Hawke stepping into the role of a sheriff named Jake.
Manu Rios, who rose to fame as Patrick on Netflix’s teen drama Élite, will star alongside Pascal and Hawke. Additional cast members include José Condessa, Jason Fernández, Sara Sálama, Erenice Lohan, Pedro Casablan and George Steane.
The short teaser is quintessential Almodóvar thanks to the stunning cinematography and melodramatic tone; it also depicts a complicated (and steamy) romance between Pascal and Hawke’s characters.
The official synopsis of Strange Way of Life reads: “A man rides a horse across the desert that separates him from Bitter Creek. He comes to visit Sheriff Jake. Twenty-five years earlier, both the sheriff and Silva, the rancher who rides out to meet him, worked together as hired gunmen.
“Silva visits him with the excuse of reuniting with his friend from his youth, and they do indeed celebrate their meeting, but the next morning Sheriff Jake tells him that the reason for his trip is not to go down the memory lane of their old friendship…”
Almodóvar said the title “alludes to the famous fado by Amalia Rodrigues, whose lyrics suggest that there is no stranger existence than the one that is lived by turning your back on your own desires.”
In a recent interview with Insider, Pascal opened up about filming the queer project and working with the esteemed Spanish director.
“It could have been anything that [Almodóvar] asked me to do, and I would have done it without question,” he told the outlet.
“He absolutely opened up an entire world of storytelling, colour, culture, rebellion, and sexuality that was just absolutely intoxicating, dangerous, hilarious, heartbreaking, and encompassing the whole spectrum, but with such a signature style.”
In addition to Almodóvar, Pascal also gushed about working with Hawke, which he described as an “incredible opportunity.”
“To get to work with Ethan [Hawke], whose movies I’ve seen since I was a little kid, who I’ve seen on stage off-Broadway, on Broadway, whose books I’ve read, whose plays I’ve seen him direct, and big movie, small movies, horror movies,” he said.
“It was really an incredible opportunity to go, learn, and to enjoy the experience of being on the level of people like that. Taking it all in was incredible.”
Strange Way of Life will have its world premiere at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, which takes place 16-27 May.
Watch the first trailer here or below.
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