After watching Karim Aiouz’s Firebrand at last year's festival I was excited to see what the Brazilian director had in store for this year. Firebrand is a fascinating tale that follows the life of Katherine Parr, the sixth wife of the tyrannical King Henry VIII. While I very much enjoyed the setting of 16th century England, Motel Destino, is likely the farthest from it. Mostly taking place in a Brazilian sex motel, the film is raunchy, erotic, and provocative in its delivery.
Taking place in Karim’ Aiunz’s home state, Motel Destino follows the tumultuous journey of Heraldo (Iago Xavier), a young man from a small beach town in Ceará, who dreams of a better future in the city as a mechanic. His aspirations are complicated by his entanglement with local drug dealer Bambina (Fabíola Líper), who refuses to let him and his brother Jorge (Renan Capivara) go until they complete a dangerous mission. A late-night encounter with a woman at a beach bar leads Heraldo to Motel Destino, but when he wakes up the next morning, he finds himself trapped after the woman has stolen his money.
To add insult to injury, Heraldo’s late-night escapades caused him to miss the hit he was supposed to go on with Jorge. On the run from Bambina and her hitman, Heraldo returns to the motel for sanctuary. Run by the enigmatic Dayana (Nataly Rocha) and her volatile husband Elias (Fabio Assunção), the motel becomes Heraldo's hideout. As Heraldo takes on odd jobs in exchange for free lodging, a forbidden romance blossoms between him and Dayana. The plot thickens as Heraldo grapples with guilt, fear of retribution from Bambina, and his complicated relationship with Dayana; all while traversing the motel's debaucherous and voyeuristic world.
