Pedro Almodóvar's 'Strange Way of Life' is co-produced by a fashion house. And it shows

The Western might be Hollywood’s longest-standing depiction of masculinity. Eventually, action films came along to represent strong men taking control of high-intensity situations to save the day, but the symbol of the heroic cowboy will always equate to masculinity in American culture.

So when Ang Lee’s 2005 masterpiece “Brokeback Mountain” centered around two cowboys who fell in love with each other, some people were upset that their masculine ideal now had to include homosexuals. But this wasn’t new for Westerns, even if it was the most mainstream example up to that point. “Red River” from 1948, featuring the most-famous cowboy on the silver screen, John Wayne, had latent homoerotic undertones.

Maybe it was because the 1940s weren't an accepting time of the queer community or because of the Hays Code, which prohibited films from portraying deliberate promiscuity and other “immoral behaviors.” But two characters comparing pistol sizes while looking each other over is hardly subtext.

Pedro Almodóvar’s newest short film “Strange Way of Life,” starring Pedro Pascal and Ethan Hawke, is the latest addition to the gay cowboy canon. While not always feeling genuine about their love, the 31-minute film leaves you wanting more in a picture about desire.

What is the plot of ‘Strange Way of Life’?

Silva (Pascal) rides onto the desolate, dusty streets where his friend Jake (Hawke) is the town’s sheriff. They are clearly old friends who haven’t seen each other in years. Jake has Silva over for dinner at his home and they talk about their adventures together when they were younger.

Jake seems more reluctant than Silva to talk about their past, but as morning comes, Silva is seen naked in Jake’s bed. The nature of their past relationship becomes clear. Silva questions Jake about why he wasn’t willing to start a ranch and a life together when they were lovers, and Jake shuts down Silva’s questioning. He demands to know why Silva has come back into his life.

Silva shares that it’s not only because he wanted to see Jake again, but that he’s hoping that as sheriff, Jake can look past his son's crime.

Saint Laurent Productions debut is more fashion show than movie

While the film's running time is only 31 minutes, it takes a while for it to really get going. In the first scenes of Silva riding into town, reuniting with Jake and having dinner at his house, the real star is the Kelly green jacket Pascal wears.

That tracks, as it is the debut film of Saint Laurent Productions, the first fashion brand to branch out into movie production. The famous French fashion house is the co-production company behind “Strange Way of Life” along with the Almodóvar brothers’ company El Deseo.

Saint Laurent's head designer, Anthony Vaccarello, was also on set as an associate producer and logically, the film’s costume designer. The jacket is reminiscent of Jimmy Stewart’s in “Bend of the River.”

Almodovar's short film has major star power. And that could be its downfall

Almodóvar reached for his second English-language production and his second short film, and decided to cast two of the biggest names in the business.

With his rise in popularity due to HBO’s "The Last of Us," Pascal is one of Hollywood’s hottest commodities right now. Hawke has more than proven himself, and has "Leave the World Behind," another highly anticipated film, set to release this year. And Almodóvar is one of the only Spanish directors to win an Academy Award.

While not all of the film worked, it’s enticing to see artists challenge themselves in new ways and leave it all on the screen for 31 minutes.

Yet, by the end, I never felt authentic connection. Maybe it's because both actors bring the baggage of other characters to the screen or maybe it's because they’re given too short of a window to convince us of their love. Whatever the case, here's hoping Almodóvar brings Hawke and Pascal back for a feature-length film in the future.

'Strange Way of Life' 3.5 stars

Great ★★★★★ Good ★★★★

Fair ★★★ Bad ★★ Bomb ★

Director: Pedro Almódovar

Cast: Pedro Pascal, Ethan Hawke, George Steane

Rating: R for bloody images, language and some sexual content.

How to watch: In theaters October 6

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 'Strange Way of Life' review: fashionable short film leaves us wanting