History Film / TheLeechWoman

** Say what you will about LarsVonTrier's movies, at least they have SOME sympathetic characters...

* BlondesAreEvil

* PhlebotinumBreakdown: Naipe alone = slowed aging, naipe + male pineal juice = youth serum, naipe + female pineal juice = Bride of the [[TalesFromTheCrypt Cryptkeeper.]]

* MayDecemberRomance: Sans "romance", in Paul and June's case. June and Neil play it a bit straighter - at least in chronological terms.

* DysfunctionJunction: Let's see, we have an Endocrinologist motivated solely by greed and lust; his alcoholic wife he [[DestructiveRomance psychologically abuses mercilessly]], yet who later [[ProtagonistJourneyToVillain loses all sympathy points]] by becoming the titular Leech Woman; a GreatWhiteHunter motivated solely by greed and lust; a seemingly-noble lawyer who later [[spoiler: [[YourCheatingHeart reveals himself to be an inveterate cheater]]]]; a {{Yandere}} nurse willing to go to psychotic ends to keep her man (AND who [[LackOfEmpathy hardly batted an eyelash]] as she saw aforementioned wife abused time and time again); and a ConMan [[RuleOfThree motivated solely by greed and lust]]. The only remotely sympathetic character is Mala, a [[Really700YearsOld 150-year-old]] MagicalNegro who sets the plot in motion.

* EvilVersusEvil: Everybody vs. Everybody else. [[HumansAreBastards It's that kind of movie]].

* HumansAreBastards: The ultimate moral of the film; There is not a single honorable character in the entire cast, and in fact most of the cast is appallingly petty, occasionally outright [[MurderIsTheBestSolution murderous]]. [[CrapsackWorld And these traits are considered normal and commonplace]].

During the dangerous journey, June realizes Paul only wants her along to test the potential potion and becomes enraged. June, Paul, and the guide are captured by Mala's tribe and arrive just in time to see Mala undergo a special ceremony, extracting the pineal hormones of a man with a spiked ring, killing him in the process. She then mixes it with the pollen and drinks it to make her young again. Mala makes an offer for June to use the ring; Paul wants to use the opportunity to escape and "get help". However, June turns the tables and chooses Paul as the man she will kill. She undergoes the ceremony, and she and the guide then create a distraction, steal the ring and pollen, and escape. However, as Mala implied, the effect is temporary; June realizes she must keep killing men to keep young and alive, and so kills the guide after they become lost in the jungle.

When she arrives back in the states, Sally, Paul's shrewishly-voiced nurse, is dating Neil, June's wimpish but mildly attractive lawyer. June uses her new youth to pretend to be Terry Hart, her own niece; she constantly hits on Neil and makes Sally utterly jealous. She also goes around town, using her older form, to trick drunks and con men for their sweet, sweet pineal juice. Neil eventually falls in love with Terry, and decides to end it with Sally. Sally confronts Terry and tries to send her to New York via gun; the two fight, and Terry kills her with the ring.

* ButNotTooBlack: The actresses who played Old and Young Mala (Estelle Hemsley and Kim Hamilton, respectively). All of the background tribswomen, as well, are noticeably lighter-skinned than the males.

* AllMenArePerverts: Depressingly so; every single male in the movie seems motivated by lust (And [[{{Greed}} greed]]). And the women are completely defined by their ability to attract men.

* TheAlcoholic: June. "Here's to you, whiskey! Guardian of all frustrated wives!"
** Although, her alcoholism is forgiveable. Her codependency isn't.

-->'''June:''' Here's to you, whiskey, guardian of all frustrated wives.[[note]]'''[[MysteryScienceTheater3000 Mike:]]''' Defender of truth, friend to children.[[/note]]

* HollywoodHomely. June is actually not that bad-looking; it's just years of emotional abuse and alcoholism have taken their toll on her appearance.

* NamesTheSame: The main characters share the same surname as a certain [[Film/TheWolfMan1941 hairy-handed gent who ran amok in Kent]].

* [[MyGrandsonMyself My Niece Myself]]
* NamesTheSame: The main characters share the same surname as a certain [[LawrenceTalbot hairy-handed gent who ran amok in Kent]].

Dr. Paul Talbot is trying to find the secret of eternal youth. A 152 year-old African woman, Mala, approaches Paul and offers him her tribe's secret to long life, a special orchid pollen, but he is doubtful until she demonstrates how she has kept herself alive. He tells the secret to his estranged, alcoholic, and aged wife, June, and gets an guide to help them go on an expedition to Mala's village.

* [[spoiler:DownerEnding]]

* [[spoiler:DrivenToSuicide]]: [[spoiler:June]].

* AllMenArePerverts: Depressingly so; every single male in the movie seems motivated by lust (And [[{{Greed}} greed]]). [[UnfortunateImplications And the women are completely defined by their ability to attract men]].

* DysfunctionJunction: Let's see, we have a borderline CompleteMonster Endocrinologist motivated solely by greed and lust; his alcoholic wife he [[DestructiveRomance psychologically abuses mercilessly]], yet who later [[ProtagonistJourneyToVillain loses all sympathy points]] by becoming the titular Leech Woman; a GreatWhiteHunter motivated solely by greed and lust; a seemingly-noble lawyer who later [[spoiler: [[YourCheatingHeart reveals himself to be an inveterate cheater]]]]; a {{Yandere}} nurse willing to go to psychotic ends to keep her man (AND who [[LackOfEmpathy hardly batted an eyelash]] as she saw aforementioned wife abused time and time again); and a ConMan [[RuleOfThree motivated solely by greed and lust]]. The only remotely sympathetic character is Mala, a [[Really700YearsOld 150-year-old]] MagicalNegro who sets the plot in motion.

* HumansAreBastards: The ultimate moral of the film; There is not a single honorable character in the entire cast, and in fact most of the cast is appallingly petty, occasionally outright [[MurderIsTheBestSolution murderous]].

** Say what you will about LarsVonTrier's movies, at least they have ONE sympathetic character...

* DysfunctionJunction: Let's see, we have a borderline CompleteMonster Endocrinologist motivated solely by greed and lust; his alcoholic wife he [[DestructiveRomance psychologically abuses mercilessly]], and who later [[ProtagonistJourneyToVillain loses all sympathy points]] by becoming the titular Leech Woman; a GreatWhiteHunter motivated solely by greed and lust; a seemingly-noble lawyer who later [[spoiler: [[YourCheatingHeart reveals himself to be an inveterate cheater]]]]; a {{Yandere}} nurse willing to go to psychotic ends to keep her man (AND who [[LackOfEmpathy hardly batted an eyelash]] as she saw aforementioned wife abused time and time again); and a ConMan [[RuleOfThree motivated solely by greed and lust]]. The only remotely sympathetic character is Mala, a [[Really700YearsOld 150-year-old]] MagicalNegro who sets the plot in motion.

* JerkAss: Paul Talbot. To put it mildly.

* DysfunctionJunction: Let's see, we have a borderline CompleteMonster Endocrinologist motivated solely by greed and lust; his alcoholic wife he [[DestructiveRomance psychologically abuses mercilessly]], and who later [[ProtagonistJourneyToVillain loses all sympathy points]] by becoming the titular Leech Woman; a GreatWhiteHunter motivated solely by greed and lust; a seemingly-noble lawyer who later [[spoiler: [[YourCheatingHeart reveals himself to be an inveterate cheater]]]]; a {{Yandere}} nurse willing to go to psychotic ends to keep her man (AND who hardly batted an eyelash as she saw aforementioned wife abused time and time again); and a ConMan [[RuleOfThree motivated solely by greed and lust]]. The only remotely sympathetic character is Mala, a [[Really700YearsOld 150-year-old]] MagicalNegro who sets the plot in motion.

* AbusiveMarriage: A disturbing example, rife with sadism and codependency.

* DysfunctionJunction: Let's see, we have a borderline CompleteMonster Endocrinologist motivated solely by greed and lust; his alcoholic wife he [[AbusiveMarriage psychologically abuses mercilessly]], and who later [[ProtagonistJourneyToVillain loses all sympathy points]] by becoming the titular Leech Woman; a GreatWhiteHunter motivated solely by greed and lust; a seemingly-noble lawyer who later [[spoiler: [[YourCheatingHeart reveals himself to be an inveterate cheater]]]]; a {{Yandere}} nurse willing to go to psychotic ends to keep her man (AND who hardly batted an eyelash as she saw aforementioned wife abused time and time again); and a ConMan [[RuleOfThree motivated solely by greed and lust]]. The only remotely sympathetic character is Mala, a [[Really700YearsOld 150-year-old]] MagicalNegro who sets the plot in motion.