Fans have been ecstatic since the release of the trailer for Pedro Almodóvar’s upcoming film Strange Way of Life, starring Pedro Pascal and Ethan Hawke.
The 30-minute queer Western short premiered a teaser on Wednesday, prompting obvious parallels to Almodóvar’s 2006 Oscar-winning picture featuring Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger.
Strange Way of Life follows Pascal’s cowboy character Silva as he rides across the desert on horseback to see an old buddy he hasn’t seen in 25 years, Sheriff Jake, played by Hawke.
In the newly released film, the two can be seen on screen unravelling their shocking romantic past with one another in dramatic-scored and photographed moments that harken back to Hollywood’s glory days of Westerns.
There’s gunfire, horseback riding, dust fights, and The Last of Us actor Pascal caring to Hawke on his sickbed.
‘Years ago, you asked me what two men could do living together on a ranch. I’ll answer you now,’ Pascal tells him in a comment that likely single-handedly drove a chunk of the reaction.
Many social media users remarked that the film’s aspects were so flawless that they could have been fan fiction.
‘This is pretty much straight out of a fan fiction I could have potentially written or at least wanted to write. It looks super weird, gay and has two actors I love in it. I’m already obsessed,’ commented one fan, excitedly.
Another commented: ‘Fanfics of these too are guna rise.’
‘Aight queens which one of yous got to swap the screenplay for your fanfic?’ asked a third.
‘I will not survive when this film comes out… Like I swear I will just spontaneously combust or something,’ was another powerful reaction to Strange Way of Life.
‘IM SAT YUP IM SAT YESSSSSSSS THOSE ARE MY GAY COWBOY FATHERS RIGHT THERE YUP!’ screamed (we assume) another.
One fan said they were ‘so fricking excited’, while another simply confessed: ‘I need them carnally.’
‘PEDRO PASCAL AND ETHAN HAWKE MAKING OUT, I’M GOING FERAL,’ was a comment that also seemed to capture the mood well.
Other fans were captivated by Pascal and Hawke’s chemistry, as well as Almodóvar’s vision, in addition to the love tale.
‘This looks like it may be an amazing piece of postmodern filmmaking. I can’t wait. The chemistry between actors is also fire,’ stated one.
“if you’re excited for pedro pascal and ethan hawke’s queer western short film: strange way of life, make some noise!â€
me: pic.twitter.com/Q5CVIg9dQj
— kit/katie | misses din (@leia_romanova) April 26, 2023
remember who walked so that strange way of life could run pic.twitter.com/1IU3eobN13
— bri 💫 (@deangirlisms) April 26, 2023
so what, i’m just supposed to go about my day as normal after seeing the strange way of life trailer??? with him looking like this??? pic.twitter.com/XeStsJOUsj
— elle ✨ missing din djarin🄠(@elliedjariin) April 26, 2023
Five tickets for Strange Way of Life please pic.twitter.com/I5Eh2EAspy
— Erik Anderson (@awards_watch) April 26, 2023
‘This looks amazing! Two of my favourite actors… the chemistry even in the trailer …can’t wait!’ wrote a second.
‘This has everything I ever wanted. It has that old western vibe, but with added queer vibes. Immaculate,’ shared another fan.
The Western movie is due to make its debut at this year’s Cannes Film Festival in May.
On an episode of the Dua Lipa: At Your Service podcast back in December, the director revealed: ‘This is a queer Western in the sense that there are two men, and they love each other, and they behave in that situation in an opposite way.
‘What I can tell you about the film is that it has a lot of the elements of the Western. It has the gunslinger. It has the ranch. It has the sheriff.
‘But what it has that most Westerns don’t have is the kind of dialogue that I don’t think a Western film has ever captured between two men. And now I think I’m telling you too much.’
Strange Way of Life will premiere at Cannes Film Festival before releasing in Spanish theatres on May 26. A UK release date is yet to be confirmed.