Having directed his first English language film in 2023 with the underwhelming Firebrand, Brazilian director Karim Aïnouz returns to his homeland for his latest film.

It’s an erotic thriller that sees a young man stay at a motel, which inadvertently changes his destiny.

Looking to leave his coastal home of Ceará behind him is Heraldo (Iago Xavier). As a mechanic, the 21-year-old is hoping to go and work in a garage, with the hope of one day running his own.

His crime boss Bambina (Fabiola Liper) however, reminds him that he has a debt to pay, and she has a job for him and his brother.

That night, Heraldo goes to a bar and meets a young woman, which ends up with them spending the night together at a local motel – the Destino. After an enjoyable evening, Heraldo wakes to find the woman has gone, with his money, and has locked him in the room, making him late for his job with his brother.

When he finally manages to get out, it’s all too late, and has ended in tragedy.

He returns to the motel, where he had to leave his ID card, where the co-owner Dayana (Nataly Rocha) offers him a job, working for herself and her husband Elias (Fábio Assunção), which he accepts, as it seems as good a place as any to hide from Bambina.

But when he becomes attracted to Dayana, his position at the motel gets a little more complicated.

Certainly Aïnouz’s film is about as different as it could possibly get to the historical Firebrand; the Motel Destino isn’t exactly a place for all the family to stay, catering as it does for the more intimate rendezvous.

Its rooms are awash with blinding neon colours, porn on the TV, and sexual aids available on the bedside tables. And if that wasn’t enough to illustrate the type of establishment and its core customer base, the sound of sexual moaning and groaning can often be heard in the corridors.

Visually it’s often striking, with the motel itself making an impression. Unfortunately the story, less so.

It has hints of a classic noir, with Dayana the femme fatale that leads the young Heraldo down a morally dubious path. And you can understand why she would want out, with the grotesque Elias in control of everything.

It’s this narrative that takes over from the initial crime, and although it does rear up again, it doesn’t amount to much, with the focus now being on the trio in the motel.

The fact it doesn’t go full noir is disappointing, lacking that edge and suspense as it does to make it a fascinating distraction.

And even though it has a veil of eroticism, on its own it’s a little on the thin side, which makes only the motel’s prominent visual palette a reason to check in and check it out.