Akin uses a visually compelling yet sober, almost restrained, aesthetic that differs from the more full-throttle approach of some of his previous work.

Despite its visual beauty and Rahim's extraordinary, and silent, performance, the film never quite manages to connect on an emotional level.

Akin has mischievously called the movie a western, and his wide-screen photography gives a sweeping sense of the vast distances separating the hero from his girls.

Fatih Akin never ceases to border on the ridiculous in this picture of war, loss, and desolation. [Full review in Spanish]