The Motel Life
2012 · 95 min · Director: Alan Polsky, Gabe Polsky
Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)
Two brothers who are forced to leave Reno after being involved in a hit-and-run accident. Based on the novel by Willy Vlautin, this moody thriller is a searing and profound examination of brotherhood set in the timeless Sierra Nevadan frontier.
Emotional fingerprint
The Motel Life (2012) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Sadness 32%, Empathy 25%, Anxiety 20%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure
AI estimate · no viewer votes yet
How we measure
AI estimate
Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.
Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.
Why it feels this way
The strongest emotional signals are Sadness, Empathy, Anxiety. Genres: Drama, Mystery, Animation. AI estimate.
Is it worth watching?
Consider this title if you are looking for Sadness, Empathy and Anxiety. Its IMDb rating of 5.9/10 suggests a mixed audience reception; consider how well the emotional profile suits you. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 58/100.
How did it make you feel?
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Pick up to three · 0/3
Emotional journey
- Empathy
- Sadness
- Love
Not enough subtitle evidence
No dominant emotion
Dominant emotion: Tension
Dominant emotion: Sadness
Dominant emotion: Empathy
Dominant emotion: Love
Dominant emotion
| % | Approximate minute | Dominant emotion | Overall intensity | Empathy | Sadness | Love |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 % | ≈ 2′ | Tension | 65 % | 52 % | 40 % | 32 % |
| 7.5 % | ≈ 7′ | Sadness | 74 % | 63 % | 59 % | 34 % |
| 12.5 % | ≈ 12′ | Sadness | 70 % | 61 % | 59 % | 31 % |
| 17.5 % | ≈ 17′ | Sadness | 57 % | 53 % | 45 % | 30 % |
| 22.5 % | ≈ 21′ | Empathy | 55 % | 54 % | 41 % | 30 % |
| 27.5 % | ≈ 26′ | Empathy | 64 % | 57 % | 41 % | 33 % |
| 32.5 % | ≈ 31′ | Tension | 68 % | 54 % | 35 % | 30 % |
| 37.5 % | ≈ 36′ | Empathy | 66 % | 43 % | 23 % | 20 % |
| 42.5 % | ≈ 40′ | Tension | 68 % | 34 % | 14 % | 15 % |
| 47.5 % | ≈ 45′ | Tension | 60 % | 38 % | 20 % | 21 % |
| 52.5 % | ≈ 50′ | Love | 50 % | 43 % | 29 % | 32 % |
| 57.5 % | ≈ 55′ | Love | 51 % | 45 % | 30 % | 45 % |
| 62.5 % | ≈ 59′ | Love | 57 % | 49 % | 32 % | 53 % |
| 67.5 % | ≈ 64′ | Empathy | 61 % | 55 % | 43 % | 45 % |
| 72.5 % | ≈ 69′ | Empathy | 69 % | 66 % | 54 % | 48 % |
| 77.5 % | ≈ 74′ | Love | 71 % | 65 % | 51 % | 61 % |
| 82.5 % | ≈ 78′ | Love | 63 % | 51 % | 45 % | 54 % |
| 87.5 % | ≈ 83′ | Sadness | 58 % | 47 % | 48 % | 40 % |
| 92.5 % | ≈ 88′ | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence |
| 97.5 % | ≈ 93′ | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence |
Icarus
Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.
Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.
Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.
Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.
Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.
Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.
AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗
Kadri — your film companion
AIAsk anything about The Motel Life. From the film’s own dialogue and FeelDB data, at your spoiler level.
Afterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers
Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.
0 responses so far
Feeling details appear after at least 3 viewers respond, to protect privacy.
Cast
Young Jerry Lee
Young Frank
Mom
Barry Hurley
Details
- Directed by
- Alan Polsky, Gabe Polsky
- Written by
- Micah Fitzerman-Blue, Noah Harpster, Willy Vlautin
- Type
- Animation
- Released
- 2012
- Runtime
- 95 min
- Country
- United States
- Ratings
- Feels mostly
- Sadness
- Data updated
Where to watch
Free
Rent
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