“Strange Way of Life” Couldn’t Convert Me to Into an Almódovar Fan (Review)

Pedro Almódovar did not direct Brokeback Mountain, and although he nearly did, his new short film Strange Way of Life proves he has the chops to make a great western.

Strange Way of Life, Almódovar’s second short-form English-language venture, stars Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal as ex-lovers who live a desert apart and have not seen each other for nearly 25 years. Hawke’s character Jake is the sheriff of a small town, and Pascal’s character Silva runs a nearby ranch with his son. A recent murder complicates their reunion, and their relationship takes a drastic turn with the potential to become a permanent roadblock.

We never saw Almódovar’s Brokeback Mountain…until now. Strange Way of Life was touted as his “answer” to the award-winning 2005 drama, and while it shares many similarities, it feels restrained. Its 30-minute runtime holds it back from being the western epic that it wants to be, which is frustrating because I want to like it. I even want to love it.

Stylistically Stellar “Wonderful World of Henry Sugar” Lacks Substance (Review)

You’d think that the quirk of Wes Anderson and Roald Dahl would be a match made in heaven, meshing perfectly and complementing each artist in turn, and yet it still feels like both refuse to compromise and let the other dominate the project — an odd thing, considering Dahl has been dead for over thirty years. I think that speaks to the testament of his writing and how unique his style actually is.

Image courtesy of Netflix

The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar is the first of a series of short films that Anderson had adapted from Dahl’s stories that will be released on Netflix this week. This particular short follows the eponymous Henry Sugar (Benedict Cumberbatch, who seems right at home in the signature Wes Anderson style), a rich man who learns about a guru (Ben Kingsley) who can see without using his eyes. Sugar sets out to teach himself the skill in order to cheat at gambling.