Pedro Pascal And Ethan Hawke Stir The Wild West With Passion In 'Strange Way of Life'

Pedro Pascal is carving out new frontiers in the Wild West, armed with a passion as blistering as the desert sun in Pedro Almodóvar's latest short film, 'Strange Way of Life.' Unveiled at the world-renowned Cannes Film Festival, this English-language western brings together elements that are as explosive as a dynamite-stuffed mine shaft.

From Spaceships to Spur-laden Boots

Fresh off his celebrated turn as the charmingly roguish Mandalorian, Pedro Pascal's next role couldn't be more divergent. In Almodóvar's first English-language Western, Pascal stars opposite Ethan Hawke as onetime lovers rekindling their passion. A fine fusion of ardent desire and the gritty reality of the American frontier, the short has set Cannes alight like a tumbleweed in the midday sun.

Unlikely Love Amid Gunpowder and Grit

In a world of six-shooters and Stetsons, love is seldom simple, but 'Strange Way of Life' charts a course untraveled by most Westerns. Pascal's Silva and Hawke's Sheriff Jake reunite after a 25-year hiatus, and their night takes a turn from platonic reminiscing to impassioned lovemaking. As dawn breaks, however, the honeymoon ends, and Sheriff Jake returns to the business of law enforcement. An unexpected visitor in the form of Silva's potentially murderous offspring brings tension sizzling to the boil.

Two Opposites Tangle in Love's Lasso

Despite the vast gulf between their characters — Pascal's warm openness and Hawke's cool stoicism — the chemistry between the duo lights up the screen. As Almodóvar weaves his story, he expertly showcases why these two were made for each other, and why they grew apart. In a testament to their talent, both actors bring an authentic, lived-in feel to their characters within the film's brief run time.