Heraldo relies on crime to get by, but when a hit goes wrong, he escapes into the darkness of a roadside sex motel to hide. The eccentric owner and his restless wife let him stay as long as he helps them out, but as they spend time together, emotions begin to bubble under the surface, hidden desires emerge, and a complex dance of conflicting feelings and secret agendas begins.
The Garden Cinema View:
The publication of The Postman Always Rings Twice in 1934 did not only elevate James M. Cain to ‘serious writer’ status, but also raised the critical appreciation of the hard boiled American crime genre itself. The simple love triangle setup was always more about the telling than the plot, perhaps why film adaptations of the book have paled in comparison to those of Cain’s other great novel, Double Indemnity. The 1946 film is one of the weaker classic Hollywood noirs, despite an impressive turn from Lana Turner. Bob Rafelson brought the eroticism to the surface in his surprisingly tedious 80s version with Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange. And auteurs as diverse as Luchino Visconti and Christian Petzold have made interesting but flawed attempts.
What is left in Cain’s story for Karim Aïnouz and Motel Destino? Ultimately, the inevitable climax stalls momentum in the third act, but not before an lurid, tropical-noir setup that feels wickedly perverse and slyly humorous. Aïnouz and cinematographer Hélène Louvart (La Chimera, The Lost Daughter) have created a hellish setting - the titular love motel. A strange, nightmare world of neon red corridors, peculiar animal intrusions, and an endless soundtrack of groans and moans. This undeniably sets Motel Destino apart from the other adaptations, even if The Postman Rings Twice still awaits a truly masterful onscreen version.
