Motel Destino

The tropes of film noir play out in neon colours in Karim Aïnouz’s vibrant Motel Destino. Opening with two lean, muscular and barely dressed young brothers play-fighting on a beach, it contrasts shades of gold and terracotta with blue skies, a turquoise ocean and the vivid greens of cacti, ferns and palms. This is Ceará, where the sun beats down relentlessly. It’s a coastal territory effectively governed by gangster matriarch Bambina (Fabiola Liper). Heraldo (Iago Xavier), one of the brothers, dreams of going to São Paolo to earn money so he can return and open his own garage, but Bambina has work she wants the two of them to do first. When things go wrong, Heraldo finds himself on the run, and takes shelter in a seedy motel.

When a man has nothing else, he has his body. Dayanna (Nataly Rocha), who co-owns the motel with her partner Elias (Fábio Assunção), makes no secret of the fact that she finds Heraldo handsome. It’s partly why she offers him a job in exchange for room and board, rather than turning him away like the penniless drifter he is. He’s a mechanic by trade, with some skill as an electrician, but most of the work at the motel is more banal. He scrubs corridors and cleans rooms. She advises him to check for cum and complains that orgies are the worst. He also has to deal with unwanted guests, like the giant snake which somehow finds its way into a jacuzzi.

Quickly taking to this easy-going stranger, Elias takes Heraldo under his wing, letting him in on secrets like his means of spying on guests whilst they’re having sex. He’s frequently drunk and enjoys having somebody he can impress with his stories and knowledge of the business, genuinely enthusiastic about the quality of services he can offer. Together with the quieter but still flirtatious Môco (Yuri Yamamoto), who works the night shift, the three form a family of sorts. But Heraldo remains on edge, occasionally catching glimpses of Bambina’s men. What’s more, as mutual desire begins to sizzle between him and Dayanna, a whole new arc of danger emerges.

Narratively and thematically, the film has a lot in common with The Postman Always Rings Twice, but visually it is very much its own thing, full of striking ideas which combine to create a sense of sexually-infused delirium. The heat is a constant factor, affecting behaviour and body language. Exposed skin shines with sweat. The motel rooms are painted and lit in vivid shades of red, blue and orange. In the corridors there is a constant background of sexual utterances, gasps and groans. Even at night, the foliage in the gardens creates a lush landscape of shadows and oily light; the air feels heavy, and one can easily imagine the odours of the place.

In this hothouse, madness easily exerts its grip. It’s obvious that secrets can’t remain that way forever. As flesh meets flesh, conversations drift into dangerous places. A late night drive might remind viewers of the joyride in Blue Velvet. Out on the road, boundaries both physical and psychological disappear. There is a sense that anything could happen – and probably will. Terror and the thrill of liberation go hand in hand.

Motel Destino is a rich sensory experience, at times drifting, at times lurching into life. It mixes the seductive and the repellant with abandon, but never slackens its grip.

Reviewed on: 09 May 2025