Motel Destino18

Directed by Karim Aïnouz | Brazil | 2024 | 1h 55m | Portuguese w/ English subtitles | Starring Iago Xavier, Nataly Rocha, Fábio Assunção, Renan Capivara, Fabiola Liper

At a roadside sex hotel in northern Brazil, the arrival of a young gang member on the run turns the daily routine of its fiery owners and eccentric residents upside down. Beneath glowing neon lights and under the scorching blue skies, a tense and seductive game of desire, power, and violence begins to unfold. This steamy, erotic neo-noir is written and directed by Cannes award-winning filmmaker Karim Aïnouz (The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão).

Reviews

‘A film dripping with desire, danger, and urgency, all very welcome. A film that grows on you the more you tear it apart’
★★★★
Rafa Sales Ross, Little White Lies

‘This film is terrifically acted by its central trio: three intensely and unselfconsciously physical performances in which their bodies are frequently on show, sensual but fragile.’
★★★★
Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed Motel Destino between May 30, 2025 and June 3, 2025.

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What else is on?

Today (Sunday 19th April)

12:45

Spy Kids U
Kino Kids Cinema Club
1h 24m
Two children become spies to rescue their captured agent parents from a villainous mastermind. Armed with futuristic gadgets, they traverse skies, seas, and cities, facing danger while protecting their family, and possibly saving the world, in this thrilling family adventure.

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15:00

Caravaggio 15
35mm Presentation
1h 33m
Rebellious painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio comes vividly to life in Derek Jarman’s bold, sensuous portrait. Love, violence and artistic inspiration collide in striking tableaux that blend Renaissance beauty with daring modern touches. Presented on 35mm film.

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17:30

NTLive: All My Sons 12A
2h 31m
A family faces the cost of ambition as wartime profits, criminal charges, and a missing son test them. Bryan Cranston and Marianne Jean-Baptiste lead this live West End filming of Arthur Miller’s classic, directed by Ivo Van Hove.

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20:30

Two Prosecutors 12A
1h 58m | Russian & Ukrainian w/ English subtitles
Soviet Union, 1937. Amidst rampant injustice, a prisoner’s letter reaches prosecutor Alexander Kornyev, igniting a pursuit of truth in a totalitarian system. Sergei Loznitsa’s gripping historical drama, based on Georgy Demidov’s novel, starkly explores stifling Soviet bureaucracy and state oppression.

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Tomorrow (Monday 20th April)

17:45

The Magic Faraway Tree U
Descriptive Subtitles
1h 50m
The Thompson children discover a magical tree leading to fantastical lands. Facing quirky inhabitants and wondrous adventures, they reconnect and grow closer. Enid Blyton’s beloved classic comes to life in this enchanting adaptation starring Andrew Garfield, Nicola Coughlan, and Claire Foy.

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20:15

Dead Man's Wire 15
1h 46m
In 1977, businessman Tony Kiritsis takes a mortgage broker hostage with a deadly “dead man’s switch,” demanding millions and an apology. Gus Van Sant’s tense, darkly comic thriller brings this bizarre true story to life with Bill Skarsgård, Al Pacino, and Colman Domingo.

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Plan your visit

Our beautiful art deco inspired auditorium can be found just off East Oxford's Cowley Road.We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts. We only show a few adverts – less than most cinemas – and we only play a couple of trailers, so please don’t be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!