• Release year: 2024
• Director: Karim Aïnouz.
• Producers: Janaina Bernades, Didar Domehri, Caio Gullane, Fabiano Gullane, André Novis, Gabrielle Tana, and Hélène Théodoly.
• Screenplay by: Wislan Esmeraldo.
• Cinematography by: Hélène Louvart.
• Music by: Amin Bouhafa.

Shotgun Commentary: slightly unhinged, insane use of colour, and good narrative (albeit slightly dragged on).

Review

Motel Destino is an erotic drama protagonised by Heraldo (Iago Xavier), a young man who dreams about setting up his own garage. Sadly, those dreams are crushed when his attempt to pay his debt to the local mob goes awry, leading him to hide in a couples’ motel.

Solid beginning

Despite being marketed as a thriller, there is little intrigue to this story. Heraldo decides to spend the night having sex with a stranger, despite having to make a hit the next morning. As a result, he doesn’t make it on time, which gets his brother killed. This incident makes him wanted by the mob who ordered the hit, by his brother’s girlfriend, and by his brother’s best friend. And what better way to hide than working in the same couples’ motel that got him into trouble in the first place?

Now, the story so far sounds quite interesting, right? Well, that’s more or less the first ten minutes. From then on, it is the most boring “justified”-cheating story you could ever witness. The owner of the motel is abusive with his wife. She is repulsed by him. Heraldo falls in love with her, and they very obviously have sex all over the motel.

That is pretty much it, making the cinematography the most interesting aspect of the feature. Despite the blandness of the narrative, the use of colours is absolutely wonderful. So much so that it is the only reason to keep watching.

The use of red to signify love, sexual attraction, danger, and wrath might come across as a bit cliché, but it looks amazing, and it gets the message across, so why judge, really. The movie also features electric blue lights and props in bold tones that make sure your attention doesn’t go elsewhere outside the screen.

The main guy

The relationship the audience develops with the characters is a lot trickier. None of them will meet your standard of a good person and, despite being somewhat relatable during very specific moments, they are mostly competing to see who gets the award for most disgusting character of the film. Let me tell you, the competition is FIERCE.

On the one hand you have Heraldo, a man that is pretty much surviving however he can, until he makes the great decision of thinking with his penis, the exact same decision that put him into a sticky situation in the first place. Learning absolutely nothing, he jeopardises his whole life to get laid.

Now, maybe someone finds that very logical and comprehensible, but for the sake of this writer’s sanity, let’s just pretend people are somewhat normal. How on Earth do you make the same mistake right after getting your life destroyed by said mistake? He literally whines about his misfortune to the woman that will get him into trouble for a second time, which is hilarious but also deeply frustrating to watch.

The unhinged couple

As for the woman in question, Dayana (Natalie Rocha), she loves to dance all over the line between manipulative villain and victim of the circumstances. Her situation is tragic and beautifully portrayed by Rocha, but there are so many gaps in her backstory that one can’t really make up one’s mind about her, which is kind of genius, actually.

Finally, you have the motel’s owner, the one who could be considered as “the villain”, not because he is necessarily the worst (although technically he is), but mostly because the point of view the audience is given is that of Heraldo. The owner in question, Elias (Fábio Assunção), is a slimy man who has no morality. He is violent, self-absorbed and unsurprisingly good at business. However, he is so openly mocked by both Heraldo and Dayana that you might even find yourself pitying him.

All in all, Motel Destino offers hypnotising aesthetics and characters with great depth. The story is way too simple and the editing should’ve done away with a lot of irrelevant or repetitive content, but other than the unnecessary length of it, it’s a pretty enjoyable experience.

Advice to take from this movie:

• Always think with your head.
• If you have to complete a task that will determine the rest of your life, maybe don’t go partying the night before?
• Kill. Your. Darlings.

What’s your take? Have you watched Motel Destino? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message in my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀