The film explores several themes, including:
Noemi's limb extended under the panel and curled around a pencil left on a bench. It drew a line of condensation toward the edge of the lid and, by the time the intern returned, had made a hairline gap in the seal. It did not seem deliberate; it seemed like learning by practice: how to manipulate the environment, how to practice on the inanimate. It repeated actions until the seal weakened.
Critics were split. Roger Ebert gave the film a rare zero-star review, calling it "sick." Meanwhile, The New York Times called it "a brilliant, queasy provocation."