I can see why the average American thinks this movie is doo-doo; it's not a film that satisfies the American cultural ADD. If you were looking for an action Western with at least a few gun fights, this is not your film. Even if you're a Cosmo reader who expected some safe, Hollywood pablum like Power of the Dog, forget this film.
This is not a Western at all. This masterpiece is an intense, psychological drama that plays out on a very deep, non-verbal level. Nothing is explained. It is meant to be watched and understood in some remote part of the brain.
The tortoise-like pacing and wide, empty cinematography gives one a sense of the isolation and lack of hope as the characters in the film. It is the reaction of the characters to the obvious stressors that is beyond fascinating. I was riveted.