Karim Aïnouz’s eighth feature, an erotic thriller called Motel Destino, entered production on 31 July. The film marks the Brazilian helmer’s return to his own roots after having shot his first English-language production, Firebrand [+lee también:
crítica
ficha de la película], which bowed in the main competition of this year’s Cannes Film Festival and starred Alicia Vikander and Jude Law in the leading roles.

According to Aïnouz, the appealing motel that lends the film its title is “the main character of the plot” and the place where various chronic issues of Brazilian reality intersect. It paints an intimate picture of a youth whose future has been stolen by a toxic and oppressive elite, against which rebellion and violence are often the only possible way out.

“Motel Destino is, above all, a love story: the love between a peripheral young man who lives fighting against a system that wants him dead and a woman who resists the attacks of the patriarchy against her own life. Motel Destino is a Brazilian saga of the encounter between a person on the run, utterly helpless, and another who is being crushed in an abusive marriage,” Aïnouz further explained.

The “strong and vibrant colours of Brazil’s Ceará”, the director’s home state, set the visual and narrative tone of the new work, which features two local talents, Iago Xavier and Nataly Rocha, in the leading roles, alongside Emmy-nominated thesp Fábio Assunção (Songs of Betrayal).

“I’m very interested in talking about crime – not sordid crime, but crime as the only escape from the place we are living in, the world we live in. How do you overcome absolute helplessness? It's a theme very present in contemporary Brazil. It’s not about being victimised, but rather completely marginalised,” added Aïnouz.

The story was born of Aïnouz’s partnership with the Script Laboratory of Porto Iracema das Artes, a school for technical and creative training intended for students from the public educational system, based in Fortaleza, where he serves as one of the mentors. It was there that, many years ago, he discovered writer Wislan Esmeraldo and invited him to develop the script for the project. Next, Esmeraldo was joined by Mauricio Zacharias (Madame Satã, Love for Sale).

Veteran cinematographer Hélène Louvart is attached as the project’s DoP, whilst Marcos Pedroso, a regular collaborator of Aïnouz’s, is in charge of its production design.

After Motel Destino, the director will shift his focus to Rosebushpruning, his second English-language project. The project was announced by The Match Factory and MUBI at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The A-list cast includes Kristen Stewart, Josh O’Connor and Elle Fanning, with production set to kick off next spring.

Motel Destino is being produced by Cinema Inflamável (Brazil) and Gullane (Brazil), in co-production with Globo Filmes (Brazil), Telecine (Brazil), Canal Brasil (Brazil), Maneki Films (France) and The Match Factory (Germany), and in association with Brouhaha Entertainment and Written Rock (UK). Pandora Filmes is in charge of its Brazilian distribution. The project has also received support from the Department of Culture of the State of Ceará.

The Match Factory is selling the picture worldwide.