Should Gay Western 'Strange Way of Life' Be Made Into a Full Feature or Series?

Strange Way of Life was released in 2023, and it may have slipped under a lot of people’s radars. The short film from Pedro Almodóvar was a great addition to the Western genre, as it introduced a queer take on a traditionally macho setting. The picture is available on various streaming platforms including Netflix, but it has left a lot of viewers wanting more.

Indeed, 31 minutes didn’t feel like long enough to explore the story of Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal’s characters. There’s an argument that it would be the perfect offering to expand upon as a feature film or television series.

The Perfect Time to Release More Western Content

Western content has made a huge comeback in popular culture over the last few years, meaning that it’s the perfect time to release more offerings in the genre. There have been various shows in recent times that have been inspired by classic Westerns, with Yellowstone and Fallout among the best of them.

Western themes are also commonplace in the online slots market, where there are countless options for players to choose from. Deadeye is one of the latest in the genre, and it includes all the classic symbolism that you’d expect to find in a gunslinging offering. Modern players like Western-themed games because they are immersive, and they have various familiar tropes that take players back to a simpler time.

Strange Way of Life attracted some attention as a short film, but its concept and story deserves more attention. If a major platform like Netflix picked up the rights to it and transformed it into a television series or movie, it could be a major hit.

Strange Way of Life Was Met With Positive Reviews

There’s a lot to like about Strange Way of Life, and it received positive reviews after it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023. There’s no doubt that the picture was helped greatly by its star power, with Pascal one of the most sought-after actors in the business right now. His chemistry with Hawke was incredible, and audiences really got a taste of how the estranged lovers were feeling.

Strange Way of Life is all about two former lovers who reunite after decades apart, but it all feels a bit too rushed. If it was to be adapted into a feature film or series, the world that Almodóvar gave viewers a glimpse of could be fleshed out in so much more detail. It could go into the backstory of the characters, detailing their early history and then explaining how they were separated.

The question is, though, if it would be possible to get Hawke and Pascal together again for a larger project. Both have a lot of commitments, so an offering that expands on Strange Way of Life may have to use different actors in the leads. This could take away some of the magic of the original.

As it stands, there are no plans to expand upon this short film with another offering. However, it would make a lot of sense for someone to explore this idea.