Motel Destino

Beneath the scorching sun of northeastern Brazil, where the horizon glows and life pulses in tropical heat, lies Motel Destino, a neon-lit haven for secret desires and dangerous dreams. Run by the rough Elias and his dissatisfied but bewitching wife Dayana, this small roadside motel is a world unto itself: a place where the night writes its own laws.

On the run after a failed assassination attempt, 21-year-old Heraldo seeks refuge in a remote motel. Dayana, trapped in a life of unfulfilled desires, becomes fascinated by the young fugitive and decides to offer him shelter. But Elias is suspicious of the newcomer. In the steamy love triangle that develops between them, jealousy, desire and revenge collide in a game of power and liberation. As the lines between fear and desire blur, Heraldo and Dayana hatch a dangerous plan to escape their fate—and Elias.

With his signature cinematic flair, Brazilian director Karim Aïnouz immerses us in a sizzling tropical noir universe, where neon colors glow and sultry nights are saturated with menace and lust. Written in collaboration with a student from his own screenwriting school in Fortaleza, the film exudes a raw, authentic energy. The bewitching visual style of cinematographer Hélène Louvart, who previously collaborated with Aïnouz on The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão (2019) and Firebrand (2023), amplifies the film’s electrifying sensuality. In Motel Destino, desires and destinies become inextricably intertwined, and the line between freedom and ruin becomes ever thinner.