I was in the theater lobby waiting for Pedro Almodóvar’s Strange Way of Life (Extraña forma de vida) to screen, talking with another critic. She had not previously seen any of Almodóvar’s works. I’m not exactly a stranger en la casa Almodóvar, yet there are works of his that I have yet to see. Our conversation took a twist that led me to share with her some of Almodóvar’s signature traits: the film would open with fluid camera movements and bold colors upfront.

Strange Way of Life opened with the level of Almodóvar as I anticipated. However, I was unprepared for the story beyond the opening of the Spanish director’s English-language short.

A scant thirty-one minutes passed as the house lights went up; I sat mesmerized over how much life was lived between Sheriff Jake (Ethan Hawke) and Silva (Pedro Pascal), a rancher who shared a past with Jake. The audience is lulled into Almodóvar’s romance with Manu Rios’ deep guitar and golden voice, transporting us into a time warp where one must live off the land, the distance between locales was significant, and travel was done on horseback.

Set in Spain, this Western drama feels as if Almodóvar shot it in Utah or Nevada, with the craggy red rock formations abutting dusty lands and what little civilization existed in the Western United States at the time; the layers and nuances of the past settle gently on the two men, as they find their passion for one another again.

No fear exists in either man; Hawke is forceful in a rough and tumble way yet understanding. His performance is nearly understated, but the actor’s eyes and body language say far more than the dialog. For Pascal, the actor’s depth of love shines brilliantly. They make a beautiful pair on screen as the pain of time and secrets melt away.

Twenty-five years have passed since the men shared a bed, yet Almodóvar’s script suggests they’d routinely had a torrid affair and see each other regularly.

The morning after tells a different story of a sheriff who does not want his proclivities shared around town, a discretion even amongst the rough and tumble. Hawke is forceful yet graceful. On the other hand, Silva desperately wants to talk about the lost time and other matters; Pascal lusts after Hawke, stumbling on his words with meaning within meaning. Josè Luis Alcaine’s cinematography captures the essence of spent love between the two, the strain in their relationship, and what’s to come in the third act.

Throughout the interior scenes, Almodóvar infuses the walls with artwork, visually lulling you further into Jake and Silvia’s respective worlds. The intentional set design represents the stages of Jake’s and Silvia’s reunion, also reflected in their wardrobe, courtesy of Yves Saint Laurent’s head designer, Anthony Vaccarello. Through these elements, Almodóvar presents a well-worn environment, full of familiarity between the characters and of changing circumstances as an extension of the visual landscape, a hallmark of his films.

Pulled further into Strange Way of Life, Almodóvar continues his association with composer Alberto Iglesias, who adds a robust level of contextualization to the emotionally charged landscape.

Eventually, all great things must come to an end. Almodóvar packs quite a bit into 31 minutes, enough to fill a 90-minute movie. The complexity of emotions, the rawness of the characters and their love, and the struggle to rise out of their reunion, as Jake warns Silva to not pursue the lust of the past, are but just a few of the reasons why Strange Way of Life sits comfortably within my top films of 2023.

Almodóvar continues to expand his horizons with each film, and the complexities of life shine brightly.

Strange Way of Life, which Sony Pictures Classics has paired with The Human Voice, is no exception to his wondrous works. A general feeling exists that you will want to see more out of the film when plenty is ready to be examined. To ask for more would be tempestuous at best. Hawke and Pascal deliver two of the most potent male performances of the year. A conservatism exists within Almodóvar’s direction and writing that we know enough of their life, the impact of their reunion, and their future.

Those are the hallmarks of a good Pedro Almodóvar film.

La escuela de esta extraña forma de vida contada por Pedro Almodóvar ha terminado, con amor.

Strange Way of Life

Written and Directed by: Pedro Almodóvar

Starring: Ethan Hawke, Pedro Pascal, Jose Condessa, Jason Fernandez, Sara Salamo, George Steane, Manu Rios, Oihana Cueto, Daniela Medina

R, 31 minutes, Sony Pictures Classics/El Deseo/Saint Laurent Productions/B Team Pictures