Pedro Pascal and Ethan Hawke’s queer Western ‘Strange Way of Life’ gets UK release date

Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal in Strange Way of Life.

Erotic cowboy fans rejoice! Pedro Pascal and Ethan Hawke’s highly-anticipated queer western short film A Strange Way of Life has finally got a UK release date.

The film that has had gay Twitter (or, I suppose, gay X?) in a chokehold for months will be with us in a matter of weeks. 

And thank goodness because, between all of director Pedro Almodóvar’s teasing and this ridiculously raunchy trailer, people probably couldn’t have waited much longer.

In a sort of answer to the original queer cowboy movie Brokeback Mountain, A Strange Way of Life will tell the story of town sheriff Jake, played by Dead Poets Society’s Ethan Hawke, and gunslinging cowboy Silva, played by the internet’s daddy Pedro Pascal, who reunite for the first time in 25 years.

The reunion takes a turn when the two finally acknowledge that they were always much more than friends.

A Strange Way of Life already held its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival back in May, and early reviews gave eager fans an idea of what they could expect.

Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal in Strange Way of Life.
Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal in ‘intimate’ queer western Strange Way of Life. (Iglesias Más)

According to The Guardian, that’s chemistry that’s “too intense to resist”, while Deadline noted that there was a “fleeting shot of Pascal’s butt”.

As if fans didn’t have enough to get excited about, director Almodóvar has been teasing us with hints at what to expect from the “absolutely erotic” 31-minute western.

“The film is full of these moments that are erotic without being explicit sexually or having to do with any kind of physical nakedness,”  Almodóvar told Indiewire

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“There’s a certain intensity, these pauses, that are very erotic and carnal for me.”

Pedro Pascal and Ethan Hawke in Strange Way of Life.
Strange Way of Life now has a UK release date. (El Deseo)

While there might not be any explicit sex scenes to feast your eyes on, Almodóvar has promised plenty of sexual tension to lap up.

“It’s more subtle but it’s absolutely erotic,” he said. “I know they both have a lot of admirers so it’s good for audiences to know they’re not going to see them f**k.”

Still – erotic queer cowboy drama? We’re in!

So when can UK viewers finally enjoy Strange Way of Life? It’s sooner than you think.

Strange Way of Life will be available to stream on MUBI from 20 October.

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