History Film / OddObsession

''Odd Obsession'' (鍵, ''[[CompletelyDifferentTitle The Key]]'') is a 1959 film directed and co-written by Creator/KonIchikawa, starring Ganjiro Nakamura, Creator/MachikoKyo, and Creator/TatsuyaNakadai.

Based on a Japanese novel called ''The Key''. In 1983 the source novel was made into an Italian film titled ''The Key''.

* KillEmAll: All four of the main characters are dead by the end of the movie.

While treating Kenji, Kimora has been courting the Kenmochi's young daughter, Toshiko.[[note]]The actress playing Toshiko was actually [[PlayingGertrude only 12 years younger]] than Kyo.[[/note]] One evening when he is visiting the Kenmochi home, Ikuko drinks way too much alcohol. She excuses herself from dinner, goes to the bathroom, and runs a bath, only to pass out while naked in the bathtub, fortunately with her head above water. As Kenji and Kimora pull Ikuko out of the bath, Kenji notes the doctor's reaction to his attractive nude wife, and more importantly, his own reaction to Kimora's reaction--the idea turns him on. Kenji hits on an idea: push his wife into an attraction with the handsome doctor, then use his own arousal at the prospect to revitalize his own sex drive.

** The key to the back door that Ikuko gives Kimora, along with an explicit invitation to visit her for sex after everyone else has gone to bed, is a somewhat more subtle visual metaphor.
* YourCheatingHeart: Ikuko does in fact eventually engage in an affair with Kimora.

While treating Kenji, Kimora has been courting the Kenmochi's young daughter, Toshiko.[[note]]The actress playing Toshiko was actually [[PlayingGertrude only 12 years younger]] than Kyo.[[/note]] One evening when he is visiting the Kenmochi home, Ikuko drinks way too much alcohol. She excuses herself from dinner, goes to the bathroom, and runs a bath--only to pass out while naked in the bathtub, fortunately with her head above water. As Kenji and Kimora pull Ikuko out of the bath, Kenji notes the doctor's reaction to his attractive nude wife, and more importantly, his own reaction to Kimora's reaction--the idea turns him on. Kenji hits on an idea: push his wife into an attraction with the handsome doctor, then use his own arousal at the prospect to revitalize his own sex drive.

While treating Kenji, Kimora has been courting the Kenmochi's young daughter, Toshiko.[[note]]The actress playing Toshiko was actually [[PlayingGertrude only 12 years younger]] than Kyo.[[/note]] One evening when he is visiting the Kenmochi home, Ikuko drinks way too much alcohol. She excuses herself from dinner, goes to the bathroom, and runs a bath--only to pass out while naked in the bathtub, fortunately with her head above water. As Kenji and Kimora pull Ikuko out of the bath, Kenji notes the doctor's reaction to his attractive nude wife, and more importantly, his own reaction to Kimora's reaction--the idea turns him on. Kenji hits on an idea: push his hot wife into an attraction with the handsome doctor, then use his own arousal at the prospect to revitalize his own sex drive.

* ChekhovsBoomerang: The insecticide and cleanser cans. One's in a red can and the other's in a green can, and it is established that Hara is color-blind and can't tell the difference between cans. Hara decides to switch the contents of the cans [[InsaneTrollLogic so that she doesn't mix them up]]. What happens? Well, Tomiko decides to kill her mother and her faithless fiancé, so she does their tea with poison--except that the poison is actually the cleanser, so all she does is give their tea a funny taste. However, it turns out that in addition to illogically switching out what's in the cans, Hara also quite logically marked the poison can with "poison" on the bottom. After looking at the bottom of the can and confirming that it is in fact poison, Hara dumps it on top of the salad, and thus murders all of the other three.

** The key to the back door that Ikuko gives Kimora, along with an explicit invitation to visit her for sex after everyone else has gone to bed, is a somewhat more subtle visual metaphor.

* VisualInnuendo: After Kimora climbs on top of Toshiko (while she is still staring at nude pictures of her mom!) the film cuts to shots of trains in the nearby train station. Specifically, multiple shots of train cars--coupling. Followed by a shot of a steam whistle going off.

* PoliceAreUseless: The cops simply cannot process the idea that an elderly grandma housekeeper could murder three people, even after Hara confesses in full, saying that she put the insecticide in the salad. So they let her go.

* EroticFilm: About as erotic as a Japanese film could get in 1959 (which was notably more erotic than a Hollywood film), dealing with jealousy, sexual frustration, and the often unclothed body of Machiko Kyo.

* BewareTheNiceOnes: Hara, the meek, elderly servant to the Kenmochi family, knows exactly what is going on and exactly what Ikuko is up to. After Kimora dies, she poisons Ikuko, Toshiko, and Kimora.

* BrattyTeenagedDaughter
* CannotHoldHisLiquor