In the age of mega-blockbuster films can last three or more hours, sometimes it’s nice to get a reminder that a whole story can be told in a shorter format. And after a May release at Cannes, Sony Picture Classics is bringing two of their short films to the theaters this weekend. Both Strange Way of Life and The Human Voice come in well under an hour each and pack a punch in their short run time.
Strange Way of Life brings two former friends back together in the old West and finds themselves on the opposite side of the law this time. Silva (Pedro Pascal) is doing what he can to protect his son despite the laws he’s broken, and Jake (Ethan Hawke) is now the Sherrif is determined to uphold the law. With their personal history, it seems the two could find a way forward with the current issues but their past may be just that.
The relationship between the two men seems genuine, albeit a bit predictable, yet well portrayed for the screen. The two men have genuine feelings for each other despite what’s happening, and yet their called to different sides of the issue. With a run time of just 30 minutes, including the final credits Strange Way of Life is short, sweet, and will leave viewers wanting to know what happens next for Silva and Jake. What the future holds for the two men, we may never know, but it gives you just enough to imagine what it could mean for them both.
Strange Way of Life will play in select theaters alongside Almodóvar’s 2020 short film, The Human Voice, starring Tilda Swinton. Together the two shorts have a total run time of just about 1 Hour and 20 minutes including their credit sequences.
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About Strange Way of Life
A new short by Pedro Almodóvar starring Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal. 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….