The Motorcycle Diaries

52 Films in 52 Weeks - 2 (49 weeks and 50 films to go)

The Motorcycle Diaries is essentially a road movie, the fact that one of the characters in ti became famous in his later life is pretty much irrelevant, although you can see where Ernesto 'Che' Guevara (Gael Garcia Bernal) beliefs first started. It is based on the book of the same name by Guevara and 'Travels With Che Guevara' by Alberto Granado.

Guevara and his friend Alberto Granado (Rodrigo De La Serna) decide to travel South America on an old Norton motorcycle for the experience and after a brief interlude at Guevara's girlfriend's family's house they set of travelling through Argentina, Chile and Peru where they see first hand various social injustices (and there acceptance) inflicted on some of the people they meet. They are also able to use their medical training and compassion to help out at a leper colony on the Amazon. The scenery is spectacular, and that alone may have people hiring motorcycles and heading out to South America. The dialogue is simple, we are not spoon fed Guevara or Granado's thoughts, their brilliant acting skills and the subtle direction (by Walter Salles) allows us to appreciate by the bucketload all that they are feeling.

There is some humour, as this is a long journey, both physically and emotionally for the two young men. Fortunately, although it is just over two hours long, we do not feel quite so drained at the end of it.