Motel Destino: Karim Aïnouz’s erotic thriller follows a young man who, trying to escape his small-time criminal life and move to a big city, must hide in a love hotel where he enters an affair with the owner’s wife. The film drinks from a few old noir tropes, using some storylines and characters but setting them under a tropical sun and neon lights. The problem is that the characters (chiefly the protagonist) are dull and one-dimensional, while his hurry to leave town never feels warranted. Acting is fine: Iago Xavier cuts a nice figure and is well-cast to play the young stud, but his character is too low-energy; Nataly Rocha, as the attendant he falls for, is lively enough; Fabio Assunção has the most colorful character to play, the seedy hotel owner, and he is quite entertaining. Production designer Marcos Pedroso creates a credible setting where most of the story takes place and cinematographer Hélène Louvart paints it all with vivid colors, giving the film a very particular and thematically appropriate look.