[3] Inspired by the history of Gilles de Rais,[4] the plot follows an ex-Nazi child molester who is now paralyzed and depending on an iron lung to live.

A young man claiming to be his new caretaker reveals himself as one of the Nazi's former victims, and forces him to watch while he re-enacts his tormentor's crimes.

Some years later, Klaus is being taken care of by his wife Griselda and their young daughter Rena in a large gloomy house in the country.

Finally Angelo removes Klaus from his iron lung and lets him die of asphyxiation while emulating the scene of his own abuse, in Rena's presence.

[6] Made in 1985, In a Glass Cage was partially funded by subventions from the ministries of culture both of Spain and of the regional Catalan government.

[3] In a Glass Cage was inspired by the history of Gilles de Rais, a fifteenth-century French nobleman who murdered hundreds of children in sadistic black magic rituals, and was eventually convicted and hanged for his crimes.

Stephen Holden of The New York Times praised the film as "an elegant, unsettling first feature by the young Spanish writer and director Agustin Villaronga", "a revenge fantasy of the most icy viciousness.

"[7] Cavett Binion of AllMovie called the film "stylistically compelling, morally ambiguous, and profoundly unsettling", but warned that it was "not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach".

[8] In a less positive review for The Washington Post, Desson Howe wrote that although the film "has a powerful style," its "intrinsic nastiness .

[10] In 1995, In a Glass Cage was submitted to the Australian Classification Board (ACB) by organisers of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras festival.

The bonus feature includes a brief interview with director Agustí Villaronga about the making of the film, the origins of the story, the stylistic use of color and location, and the acting.