“STRANGE WAY OF LIFE”, A DRAMATIC WESTERN FROM OSCAR AWARD WINNER DIRECTOR PEDRO ALMODOVAR
Cinema Writer/Film Critic Efe TEKSOY; wrote the drama and western film “STRANGE WAY OF LIFE”, for America’s Los Angeles-based Internet Newspaper @alaturkanews.
A WESTERN WIND
Strange Way of Life/Extraña forma de screw, which premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on May 17, 2023, is a Western drama short film written and directed by master director Pedro Almodóvar. Starring Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal, the film is the first film produced by Saint Laurent Productions, the production company of luxury fashion house Yves Saint Laurent. Anthony Vaccarello, the creative director and chief designer of the brand, also served as assistant producer and costume designer in this project. The story takes place in 1910; Silva crosses the desert to visit his old friend Sheriff Jake, whom he hasn’t seen in 25 years. However, at the end of this journey, it becomes clear that the real purpose of both of them is different.
Stars; Ethan Hawke, Pedro Pascal, Pedro Casablanc, Manu Ríos, George Steane, José Condessa, Jason Fernández, Sara Sálamo, Oihana Cueto, Daniela Medina, Vasileios Papatheocharis and Daniel Rived.
ALMODOVAR’S CINEMA
Pedro Almodóvar, who stepped into the world of cinema after the overthrow of Franco; represented the New Wave Movement with its melodramas full of sexual adventures, cultural emphasis, and cinema with vibrant colors and striking tones. In 1999 “All About My Mother (Todo sobre mi madre)” won the Oscar and Almodóvar, who received the ‘Best Director Award’ at Cannes, won his second Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for his film “Talk to Her (Hable con ella)” in 2002. Unlike Spanish Neo-Realist films, women at the center of Almodóvar’s cinema appear as strong-dominant figures that manifest themselves in the male-dominated ideology and center female solidarity along with feminist narrative elements. However, in this film, the director goes beyond the conventional cinema narrative and focuses the main conflict on male figures. Another detail is that in this film, we see all the symbols and facts of classical Almodóvar cinema through detailed and striking images. In addition, we see that the director’s key color, red, stands out boldly and strongly within the neutral color scheme, thus providing a sharp break from monotony.
BEHIND THE SCENES
-At the sheriff’s house, the paintings are by Maynard Dixon, one of the first to paint the Wild West with American Natives and cowboys. There is also a portrait of Lily Langtry, who was a famous actress in the late 19th/early 20th centuries. At the ranch, a Mexican landscape by Georgia O’Keeffe can be seen above Silva’s bed.
-The movie was shot in southern Spain in August 2022, near Almeria, where Sergio Leone shot his famous Dollars Trilogy. It was commented that the location is all dusty and looks old and authentic now, unlike in Leone’s movies, where the sets had only been built a few weeks before shooting. The Spanish summer was reportedly brutal for the shooting crew.
-The title is inspired by the Portuguese poem song by Amália Rodrigues called “Estranha forma de vida” (Strange Way of Life), released in 1959 and sung by Brazilian singer Caetano Veloso and lip-synced by actor Manu Ríos at the beginning of this short film. At other times you can hear the melody of the song as well as references to it in the dialogue of the characters.
STRANGE WAY OF LIFE
Cinema for the master director Pedro Almodóvar; It is a representation of reality in every aspect, from the actors to the lighting. The movie “Strange Way of Life”, which comes from this reality, tells us that by placing the concept of the family before relationships and friendships, it allows the meaning to be suspended for a moment and carries the subject to another dimension, that is, to a point where the male-dominated ideology loses its hold.
EFE TEKSOY
REFERENCES AND SOURCES
https://www.imdb.com/
