The first images and poster have been released for director Pedro Almodóvar’s short Western ‘Strange Way of Life’.
Starring Ethan Hawke (‘The Purge’) and Pedro Pascal (‘The Last Of Us’), the short will receive its World Premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. It will then get a theatrical release in the UK later in the year.
‘Strange Way of Life’ is Almodóvar’s second work in the English language, his first being ‘The Human Voice’ starring Tilda Swinton, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2020. The film is produced by El Deseo and presented by Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello, with all characters costumed by the company.
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….
The strange way of life referred in 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.
Writer/Director Almodóvar is one of Spain’s most celebrated filmmakers with numerous accolades to his name including an Academy Award, four BAFTAs, numerous Goyas and over 100 further wins and nominations.
