Motel Destino
Steamy Brazilian noir Motel Destino is at its best when exploring its characters' carnal desires, but gets tripped up by its loose plotting that can feel anticlimactic
The establishment that gives Karim Aïnouz’s new film its title is a seedy beachside resort in Ceará, on Brazil’s northeastern coast. For horny holidaymakers, it’s a convenient spot with rooms that can be rented by the hour, but for petty criminal Heraldo (Xavier), it’s a refuge. He’s hiding out there after a botched heist and earning his keep as a handyman, all under the watchful eye of owner Dayana (Rocha), who finds this young buck a much more attractive proposition than her boorish husband Elias (Assunção). Anyone who has seen The Postman Always Rings Twice or Double Indemnity will soon guess where this is all heading.
Motel Destino is at its best when plugging us into the world of its characters’ pulsating desire. The 16mm cinematography from the great cinematographer Hélène Louvart creates a feverish atmosphere, both in the neon-lit interiors and the sun-bleached exteriors, while the constant moans of ecstasy on the soundtrack hilariously add to the mood. When it’s in this groove, Motel Destino is an intoxicating and lusty blast, but it’s a shame the plot keeps getting in the way. Aïnouz’s screenplay lacks the clockwork narrative mechanics and fatalism of the great noirs, and the increasingly vague and arbitrary plotting leaves it feeling frustratingly anticlimactic.
This is a film with sex on its mind and only half an interest in anything else. In perhaps the most representative scene, Heraldo and Elias stand in the motel’s backyard and watch as a pair of donkeys rut vigorously. "If only life was that simple," Elias remarks.
Released 9 May by Curzon; certificate 18