Under a blistering sun, a desert town is the reunion spot for two aged gunslingers where their warm memories and cold resentments clash. What happens next puts a queer spin on the iconic tropes of a traditional Hollywood Western inStrange Way of Life, a short film starringPedro PascalandEthan Hawke. Directed byPedro Almodóvar, his films are known for their vibrant set design and costuming in melodrama stories that can be tragic, funny, or depraved. In the history of the genre, from seeingJohn Wayneas a heroic figure, to when things get brutal and operatic inSpaghetti Westerns, there could always be queer readings or subtext in these macho worlds where a man’s closest ally or bitter enemy was another man.Almodóvar leans into this completely, infusing his short film with erotic passion and high drama for a “what if” scenario that has the classic Western kick its boot to let queer subtext out, wild and free.
Strange Way of Life
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.
‘Strange Way of Life’ Lassos the Classic Western Out of the Closet
Silva (Pascal) meets with Sheriff Jake (Hawke) in the town of Bitter Creekfor a long overdue reunion. Twenty-five years ago, they weregunslinging partnerswho fell into a romance they abandoned back in their youth. The middle-aged Silva and Jake hook up again to make up for all the time that has passed, which causes problems when Jake learns the other reason for this long-awaited visit: Silva’s son is a fugitive at large, the very one Jake is about to hunt down, and Silva wishes to stop this.Once Silva makes his day-long trip to Bitter Creek, he finds Jake at the Sheriff’s office.They have dinner that night at Jake’s place, the two reminiscing on their past. Glasses of wine loosen their inhibitions, so when Silva gets up, Jake takes a look over his body and that’s all it takes for him to accept his urges. The film fades to black when they hook up. But while viewers may not see the older versions of the men reawaken the passion between them, a flashback to their youth isn’t as private. In this memory that is shown, they put their gun skills on display that have sexual undertones, and it’s certainly not the first time it has been done in a Western.
There are homoerotic intentions in a scene fromRed River, where two men compare each other’s guns in awe of the other’s piece.Strange Way of Lifegoes further though. When the younger Silva (José Condessa) and Jake (Jason Fernández) have a shooting contest to pierce a wine barrel, it’s a scene Almodóvar plucked out ofThe Wild Bunch. From that classic, two men do the same thing, and along with the women they brought along, everyone gulps down and dances under the leaking wine. It may start the same way for the younger Silva and Jake until it diverts. As they drink, their faces get closer until their lips meet, carnal impulses making them forget the women nearby who leave with a shrug.
The men drop to the floor, kissing with furious energy before they playfully test how far they will go. The scene may not be as explicit as what viewers see in a film likeBrokeback Mountain, where we see Ennis and Jack back in their tent together, but showing more on-screen isn’t what Almodóvar wanted. In anIndieWire interview, he said this creative choice was made to have, “–these moments that are erotic without being explicit sexually or having to do with any kind of physical nakedness.” Viewers may not have seen what Pascal and Hawke’s older versions got up to, but the morning after they talk about what they did, which brings its own erotic charge. Silva’s hurt back he complained about from being a rancher must not have been too hurt from what they got up to, according to Jake. A frank discussion like this is unique since theWestern genre didn’t openly reveal queer representation on-screen.
Pedro Pascal and Ethan Hawke Challenge the Western Hero Trope
Silva’s son is accused of killing the widow of Jake’s deceased brother, intertwining the older men without an easy way out.This is perhaps the most blatant example of Almodóvar’s use of themelodrama genre, but it’s also seen in how he emphasizes his main characters' emotions in the plot. The director switches out the leading women in his films, likePenélope Cruz, for leading men to unleash their explosive feelings. In doing so, his Western men don’t remain stoic.Ethan Hawke’s lawman can’t be persuaded to stop tracking Silva’s son as his work is the only purpose in his life, but the seemingly calm-headed Sheriff can be rattled. During the men’s early interaction at the Sheriff’s office, Silva compliments the uniform he sees, saying, “You look impressive dressed as a Sheriff.” Jake takes offense when he replies a little too quickly, “I’m not just dressed as one. I am one.”
A bigger reaction from Jake happens the morning after they have hooked up. The betrayal he feels from knowing the truth about the visit, causes him to have an outburst. He pulls out a gun, regretting it the moment he aims it at Silva. The reappearance of his old friend has cracked the shield of repression he built for himself. Although the story hints that Silva could be using their hookup as blackmail, when that doesn’t occur, it’s obvious there’s plenty of love still within Pedro Pascal’s role that he wants to offer.
Silva is also fiercely protective, doing his best to help his son avoid getting captured, no matter if he committed the crime he’s accused of or not; but Silva’s relationship with his son is secondary to his feelings for Jake. If this had been a Western made around the time when John Wayne orClint Eastwoodwere in their prime, the script would probably have focused on Silva being a father trying to protect his son from his old “friend,” pushing down Silva’s romantic connections with Jake until it was subtext, if even that. In theHollywood Reporter, Almodóvar mentioned 1959’sWarlockwhen talking about finding queer readings for older Westerns.
The Gunslingers in the 1950s Western ‘Warlock’ Are More Than Friends
Gunfighter Clay Blaisedell (Peter Fonda) is hired as town marshal to protect the town of Warlock from an unruly gang, bringing along his partner and expert gunman, Tom Morgan (Anthony Quinn). Almodóvar went on to say about Fonda and Quinn’s characters, “– and they are sort of a couple. Their relationship is absolutely a very queer relationship — it’s never made explicit, but the film makes no sense without understanding the fact that these two men have a very close relationship.” Morgan admires and respects Blaisedell, especially because his clubfoot disability is never pointed out by Blaisedell. Other characters pick up on what they mean to one another.
A woman Morgan has made into an enemy vows to see Blaisedell die to relish Morgan’s agony. If harm comes to one, the other will suffer. Their partnership becomes less secure when Blaisedell chooses to settle in Warlock with a woman he wants to marry, rejecting Morgan’s plan of traveling to a new town that needs a marshal. Eventually,a drunk and volatile Morgan pushes Blaisedell to defend himself in a gun showdown, where Morgan is killed.It devastates Blaisedell, so much so, he leaves Warlock behind, ditching the woman he was to marry. Almodóvar doesn’t bother inserting subtext for Silva and Jake, they have to grapple with their past head-on. While comparisons may be had,Strange Way of Lifestands apart from what could have been the director’s first Western.
Almodóvar Almost Directed ‘Brokeback Mountain’
Back in the early 2000s, Almodóvar had the chance to adaptAnnie Proulx’s short story, and he seemed like a terrific fit for what would become one of thebest Westerns. In the Hollywood Reporter,Almodóvartalked about how he ultimately declined to directBrokeback Mountain, believing he didn’t see the eroticism in the script he wanted. There is a great deal of fear and secrecy around the meetups between Ennis (Heath Ledger) and Jack (Jake Gyllenhaal). Repression soars in the Wyoming setting with breathtaking views of the valleys and mountains that are both a lonely and liberating place for these men.
This separates it from traditional entries such asStagecoachorTombstone, both of which took place in the latter half of the 1800s.Strange Way of Lifeis also set in the 19th century, and by keeping itself tied to the 1800s, it subverts what might have happened if Almodóvar had said, “yes,” in the 2000s. His 2023 short doesn’t give attention to societal bigotry like inBrokeback Mountain, or what it might have looked like in the 1800s. Instead,Strange Wayof Lifeescalates tensions from its queer relationship until the finale changes the outcome of a classic gun duel.
‘Strange Way of Life’ Ends With Hope
Jake has followed Silva to where he’s hiding his son and, being the lawman he is, Jake won’t leave without the prisoner. Someone is likely to die when the guns are drawn, except, Silva shoots Jake with such an expert aim, that it merely wounds his old lover, giving his son time to escape.None of the main characters inStrange Way of Lifeare killed, not like at the end ofWarlockor inBrokeback Mountain.Almodóvar offers a hopeful conclusion that alters the power dynamic presented at the start. Silva goes to Bitter Creek to desperately get Jake to look the other way; Jake is then left dependent on Silva’s gentle care.
The dark red blood streaming down Jake’s injury works as a callback to the dark red wine that was spewing from the barrels in their youth. They may be middle-aged now, but it doesn’t mean their lives are over.The men are living under the same roof, like an old dream from twenty years ago that Silva wanted and Jake didn’t see as possible.This story about aging gunslingers touches on a theme seen inThe Wild Bunchabout the passing of time, where two unlikely survivors at the end of that beloved film have no choice but to forge a new path forward, with a final line given: “It ain’t like it used to be, but it’ll do.”
Strange Way of Lifeconcentrates on getting second chances from the years that have passed. An elegant and wistful score by composerAlberto Iglesiasplays into the end credits over the last image the men see from a nearby window: the ranch outside. The harsh actions of the Wild West can lead to a loving result. Maybe, despite the circumstances, they can find out what a life together could mean for them. There are no rootin' tootin' cowboys eager to impress a lucky gal nor are there drawn-out close-ups set toEnnio Morricone-like music.Director Pedro Almodóvar revises classic tropes inStrange Way of Lifeto see how queer the traditional Hollywood Western could have been.
