Upon release in 2005, the film was met with mixed reviews:
"Getting a copy was a mission," recalls Dler, now 34, who was a university student in Erbil at the time. "You didn't ask for it by name in the shop. You asked for 'The Italian Film.' The shopkeeper would slide it to you in a plain plastic sleeve, or sometimes it was already loaded onto a USB stick you brought from home. Everyone knew what it was, but no one spoke about it publicly." Melissa P 2005 Kurdish
The hyper-sexualized, individualistic environment portrayed in European cinema. Upon release in 2005, the film was met