'Strange Way of Life' review: Pedro Pascal, Ethan Hawke lead Western love story

Pedro Pascal and Ethan Hawke lead famed filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar's take on a Western in Strange Way of Life (in theatres Oct. 6).

What is 'Strange Way of Life' about?

Set in 1910, the 31-minute film starts with the character Silva (Pascal) riding on horseback across the desert to see Sheriff Jake (Hawke), an old friend from the days when they both worked as hired gunmen. They haven't seen each other in 25 years.

Silva and Jake rekindle their romance for one passionate night, but the next morning Jake's demeanour has entirely changed, and Silva's true motivation for his trip is exposed. Silva's son is suspected of being a murderer that Jake has been tasked to go after, and Silva's trying to do everything he can to save his son.

Is 'Strange Way of Life' worth watching?

Almodóvar was able to mix his signature style with traditional American Western elements to make Strange Way of Life an incredibly stylish, visually alluring film.

A lot of the storytelling really comes down to Hawke and Pascal's body language throughout the film. A lingering look, a small glance, a touch, allow you to understand the history of these character in the short time we have.

Pascal and Hawke together might be a romantic pair you didn't see coming, but the movie really lives or dies on the emotional resonance of the intimacy of Silva and Jake, including the younger versions of the characters played by Jason Fernández and José Condessa.

A critical component of why Strange Way of Life works also comes down to the score, courtesy of Alberto Iglesias. An absolutely essential component to set the mood and the tone for this story, with a nostalgic feel.

Notably, Almodóvar was given the opportunity to direct the 2005 Oscar-winning film Brokeback Mountain, before Ang Lee's involvement.

"I think Ang Lee made a wonderful movie, but I never believed that they would give me complete freedom and independence to make what I wanted," Almodóvar told IndieWire. "Nobody told me that — they said, ‘You can do whatever you want,’ but I knew that there was a limitation."

The filmmaker went on to say that Strange Way of Life "could be like my answer to Brokeback Mountain."

Almodóvar's new perspective on a traditional movie genre is certainly an worthy addition, even if you may leave the theatre wishing you were able to spend more time understanding these characters.

Strange Way of Life opens Oct. 6 in Toronto, Ottawa, Waterloo, Kitchener, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Calgary, Victoria and other cities across Canada. The film will also be released Oct. 9 in Vancouver and Oct. 20 in Quebec.