The film stars Meinhard Neumann in his first acting role as a German construction worker in Bulgaria who finds himself in the middle of a culture clash with the locals.

Meinhard is one of a group of German construction workers hired to build a hydroelectric plant in a remote Bulgarian village near the Greek border.

As the water supply to mix the cement has been interrupted and promised gravel does not arrive, their work comes to a halt, leading to boredom.

During negotiations over access to the water, possibly involving improving the supply, Vincent flirts with Viara, who is acting as a translator.

The site's consensus reads: "Western earns the viewer's attention with an unpredictable, patiently told tale that evokes the spirit of the titular genre while adding its own unique touches".

[6] Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "The story is a faultlessly observed, broodingly intelligent piece of realism, a dispatch from a sun-baked frontier that could hardly feel more mundane or specific, but which Grisebach somehow suffuses with the beauty and power of myth.

"[7] In his review for The New York Times, A. O. Scott wrote, "Western is as precise as a dropped pin on a GPS map, which makes its sense of mystery all the more powerful.