Pedro Almodóvar’s queer western, “strange way of life”, has released its first trailer.
The short, which stars Pedro Pascual and ethan hawke, it’s something of a «Brokeback Mountain» revamp, or even more, a chance for Almodóvar to finally do it his way. Nearly two decades ago, the Spanish filmmaker was offered the chance to direct Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger’s film, but he turned down the offer fearing he wouldn’t have the creative freedom to make the film the way he wanted.
“This is a queer western in the sense that there are two men, and they love each other, and they behave in that situation in opposite ways,” Almodóvar said in an episode of “Dua Lipa: at your service.” “What I can tell you about the movie is that it has a lot of western elements. He has the gunslinger. He has the ranch. He has the bailiff. But what it has that most westerns don’t have is the kind of dialogue that I don’t think a western movie has ever captured between two men. And now I think I’m telling you too much.
The 30-minute film follows Silva (Pascal), a cowboy who travels on horseback through the desert to meet an old friend, Sheriff Jake (Hawke), whom he hasn’t seen in 25 years. Soon, Silva discovers that his trip was not to reminisce. The trailer shows the two men unraveling their complicated romantic history.
“Strange Way of Life” is Almodóvar’s second English-language project after his 2020 short “The Human Voice,” starring Tilda Swinton.
Anthony Vaccarello, the current creative director of Saint Laurent, is the costume designer and producer of the film. Alberto Iglesias, the Spanish musician and regular collaborator of Almodóvar, is also a producer as well as a composer.
The film will premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Watch the trailer below.