“Years ago, you asked me what two men could do living together on a ranch. I’ll answer you now…”
If that’s not an “answer to Brokeback Mountain,” I don’t know what is. That statement is how Oscar-winning director Pedro Almodóvar describes his latest short film, Strange Way of Life. Like a lot of Almodóvar’s films, Strange explores memory and unspoken desire. The film stars Pedro Pascal (swoon!), Ethan Hawke (swoon!), and Manu Rios (SWOON!), a young actor who seems absolutely destined to be Almodóvar’s next muse.
The logline reads:
“After 25 years, Silva (Pascal) rides a horse across the desert to visit his friend Sheriff Jake (Hawke). They celebrate the meeting, but the next morning, Jake tells him that reason for his trip is not to go down the memory lane of their friendship.”
Almodóvar’s The Human Voice, starring Tilda Swinton, was shortlisted for Best Live Action Short at the 93rd Academy Awards, but, inexplicably, it didn’t land a nomination. Can Pascal-fever and inevitable Rios obsession launch this to the front of the race?
Strange Way of Life will premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
