[1] The film portrays a surrealist world that Felicien, the protagonist played by Didier Bourdon, must navigate through as he seeks to learn what has become of his deceased father's fortune.

Described as "an elaborate Dadaist joke" by The New York Times, Ruiz's film was intended to emulate a Monty Python-esque humor with deadpan comedic tone.

[2][3] After World War I, the French doctor Felicien travels to a small town in Portugal to visit a factory his father invested his fortune in prior to his death.

Upon his arrival in the town with fields of crutches protruding from the ground, Felicien finds the area to be a surreal dream world where visions and miracles are such ordinary occurrences they become a nuisance.

Felicien finds his way to a mansion where Anthony, the wealthy owner of the factory that produces prosthetic limbs, resides with his wife Ines.

One of Felicien's more unusual encounters is with a giant sculpture of a finger made from marble that crashes through the ceiling of the guest room of the mansion, nearly crushing him.

[6] Dark at Noon received both positive and negative reviews from critics ranging from the highest praise to complaints about the plot being confusing and incomprehensible.

Frédéric Richard wrote in Positif magazine (July 1992 issue): "The eye that lies was without a doubt the most original movie of the competition, the more positively innovative and most interesting for its look carried on the world of the pictures.

"[7] However, a less favorable review of Dark at Noon calls the film "intriguing or amusing at times, but mostly infuriatingly confusing and random.