Motel Destino Review

Motel Destino opens with a medium close-up of clear blue water, with waves crashing on the shore, with the diegetic sound of the nature surrounding it, letting the audience travel to Brazil with the film as the camera slowly opens its shot to reveal the full landscape around the ocean as the natural sounds are drawn out by the non-diegetic soundtrack. The eerie and mysterious atmosphere created by the music suggests that something bad is about to happen, despite the idyllic landscape we are introduced to in the opening scene.

Karim Aïnouz‘s latest movie is set in northeastern Brazil, where 21-year-old Heraldo (Iago Xavier in his very first role) finds himself hiding out at Motel Destino, a local sex hotel. After mes a hit where his brother died, Heraldo has to go to the one place no one would find him: Motel Destino, run by hot-headed Elias (Fábio Assunção) and his younger wife Dayana (Nataly Rocha). As this uniquely colourful noir plays out, desires and destiny intertwine dangerously.

From the very beginning, the film introduces us to one of its most defining characteristics: its use of colours. We can see a high saturation that highlights the local setting of Brazil, almost as a love letter to the director’s native country. The alternating use of yellow, red, and blue, for the most part, is also a unique trait of this movie, as the defining colours of each room in the motel influence the lighting in every scene. The movie plays with the lighting in an especially fascinating way, as the colours almost become a character themselves, guiding both us and the characters through this narrative.

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As the title of the movie suggests, the setting of this story is so important that it almost becomes a character in its own right. In many ways, the motel itself is the inciting incident of the entire story, as the place where the three main characters meet and where they also grow, especially the protagonist. It is also nice to see the director go back to shooting in his original language and in his native country of Brazil after his latest UK-based project. In some ways, the camerawork feels like an ode to the director’s hometown and its beauty, especially the outside shots at the movie’s beginning.

The movie is also very different from the rest of the director’s work, proving his ability to constantly change and adapt his style in service of his narratives. However, I did not find the narrative structure as compelling as some of his previous films. The historical setting of Firebrand, for example, was in some ways a lot more memorable, aided by the incredible production design and costumes of the film. Similarly, it is hard not to compare this to The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao, which may very well be one of the director’s very best, as he seems to excel in the portrayal of an important and specific time in the history of his country.

Overall, Motel Destino is a visually striking work that is worth seeing on the big screen to appreciate it entirely. Despite some faults, it remains a memorable film that is bound to surprise its audience until its very final shot. It is also very exciting to watch as an audience member in its originality, both in of the director’s body of work and the current landscape of independent cinema, making it especially stand out in the best way possible.