Destino

Destino

Year: 2003

Runtime: 7 mins

Language: English

Director: Dominique Monfery

FamilyMusicAnimation

Set to a song about love lost and rediscovered, this film follows a woman who witnesses surreal transformations: her lover’s face melts away, she dons a dress from a bell’s shadow and becomes a dandelion, ants crawl from her hand into French cyclists, turtles with faces on their backs collide to form a ballerina, and a bizarre baseball game erupts.

Warning: spoilers below!

Haven’t seen Destino yet? This summary contains major spoilers. Bookmark the page, watch the movie, and come back for the full breakdown. If you're ready, scroll on and relive the story!

Timeline – Destino (2003)

Trace every key event in Destino (2003) with our detailed, chronological timeline. Perfect for unpacking nonlinear stories, spotting hidden connections, and understanding how each scene builds toward the film’s climax. Whether you're revisiting or decoding for the first time, this timeline gives you the full picture.

1

Dream begins: Dahlia approaches Chronos

In a desolate landscape, a naked Dahlia meanders toward a statue of Chronos as sleep overtakes her, pulling her into a dreamlike reverie. The scene establishes a surreal mood with the statue looming over the barren terrain. The moment marks the start of a dream-logic sequence that will blur boundaries between reality and fantasy.

dream sequence start Desolate landscape
2

The statue swallows as Dahlia dances

Dahlia's body seems to envelop the statue as she spins under a night sky wearing a dress. The act is dreamlike and fluid, merging her form with the statue in a haunting, graceful motion. The dream continues to unfold around her in luminous, improbable ways.

dream sequence Near Chronos statue, dream scene
3

Kiss attempted; statue melts; ascent beckons

She attempts to kiss the stoic Chronos, but the statue melts away, leaving her sad and lonely. Undeterred, she notices an array of unusual statues and dandelion seeds blowing in the wind, which lure her to dance up a tall spire. The dream hints at longing and discovery as she climbs.

dream sequence Top of the spire (dream)
4

Top of spire: creatures disrupt

At the summit, strange green eyeball creatures appear and disrupt Dahlia's happiness. One has a pointing finger protruding from its eye, and their presence snarls at her as her dress gets caught on a hand, signaling trouble ahead.

dream sequence Top of the spire
5

Ripped dress and shell descent

The dress rips, and Dahlia retreats into a sea shell that falls from the spire. It lands in a satchel or flower filled with green eyeballs held by a statue on an opposing structure, shifting the scene to a surreal new setting.

dream sequence Opposing structure area
6

Escape and ascent on floating phones

Dahlia leaps from the shell just as it lands and begins hopping across floating telephones near Chronos' statue. She moves with a rhythm that defies gravity, further blurring the line between dream and reality.

dream sequence Near Chronos statue
7

Awakening: shadow of a bell tower

Dahlia awakens from the dream and is startled by the shadow of a bell tower looming overhead. The image sits in her mind as she steps into the waking world, as if the tower has taken form as a garment or shadow.

awakening Waking world (shadow of bell tower)
8

Shadow dress and dandelion transformation

Realizing how perfect the shadow looks, she stands before it and emulates a dress with the form. She fuses with the shadow and dances in a new dress, and when she throws her head up, it transforms into a dandelion head with seeds blowing in the wind.

post-dream In front of bell tower shadow
9

Chronos moves; bird breaks free; the liquid watch

The Chronos statue begins moving forward as the bird on its chest breaks free and flies away. A clock beside Chronos forms a glowing liquid that twists and tries to restrain the statue.

post-dream Near Chronos statue
10

Ants, mustachioed cyclers

Chronos escapes the stone and, with his melted watch in view, ants emerge from a hole in his hand and transform into mustachioed men riding bicycles with bread on their heads. The bizarre change adds to the dreamlike logic of the sequence.

post-dream Around Chronos statue
11

Seed returns: Dahlia reappears

Chronos spots a dandelion seed floating away that morphs back into Dahlia. The two lovers catch sight of each other, but a large structure rises and separates them, blocking their path.

post-dream Near a labyrinth/landscape
12

Labyrinth guidance and exit

Dahlia sends birds through the labyrinth to guide Chronos toward her, and he finds an exit where she bows to him. The maze's shifting walls symbolize their separation persisting even as they reach for each other.

post-dream The labyrinth
13

Baseball attire and tortoises

As Chronos leaves the maze, he wears baseball attire but cannot locate Dahlia. Instead, two tortoises with stretched faces appear, initiating a surreal sequence that culminates in a dancing woman whose head becomes a ball.

post-dream Maze exterior
14

Ball lands in mitt; heart motif

The ball is struck by Chronos into a catcher's mitt that transforms into a giant cloth heart. Chronos hugs the heart into Dahlia, but the heart is swallowed into his own body where his heart resides.

post-dream Around the mitt and chest area
15

Final union: bell tower through the hole

In the final image, the Chronos statue bears a hole where the bird once was, and a bell tower appears through it on the far side, implying that Dahlia and Chronos have become one.

final Final shot location (statue and bell tower alignment)

Last Updated: November 22, 2025 at 16:00

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Destino Summary

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Characters, Settings & Themes in Destino

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Characters, Settings & Themes in Destino

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