Toronto – Formally known as Love at the Starlite Motel, Love at the Twilight Motel is Alison Rose’s journey in the seemingly dark world of the people who frequent hourly motels. The setting of the documentary takes place in Miami, and the Twilight Motel is one of the city’s busiest (especially the hours of 12:00 – 2:00). Here, many people arrive shrouded in secrecy to do whatever they have to do. The documentary follows the lives of an escort, a (dirty) massage therapist, a hooker, a junkie and a cheating housewife among others.
The Miami setting lends itself to a host of colorful characters that speak both English and Spanish. The subjects give out very intimate details about what they do at these motels and why they do/justify it. I found it extremely interesting, if not a bit depressing, as most of the characters seem to be stuck in a vicious cycle that seems to be having a negative impact on their lives. However, as messed up as you might think these people are, you are also surprised at how normal they are in the interviews and sometimes the justifications for their actions seem to make sense. You can kinda see it from their perspective, which is always a sign of a good documentary.
The documentary is nicely shot, and careful angles are used to ensure the subjects anonymity although anyone with lets say..okay voice recognition would probably be able to pick out who these people are right away if they knew them.
A compelling look into at the inhabitants of what most people would assume is a seedy underbelly of any city.
Love at the Twilight Motel plays at
The Royal April 10 & 11, 2010 at 7pm
The Revue on April 14 & 15, 2010 at 7pm