The Motorcycle Diaries

Ernesto Guevara (Gael Garcia Bernal), affectionally nicknamed “Fuser” by his best friend Alberto Granado (Rodrigo de la Serna) is about to join set off with him on an epic journey across South America on a rickety old Norton 500 motorcycle that has certainly seen better days. Their plan is to cover the over ten thousand kilometre distance between Buenos Aires and the northern tip of the continent, via Patagonia, before Granado reaches his thirtieth birthday. Their first stop is at the chateau-style home of his girlfriend Chichina (Mia Maestro) but thereafter it is just them, their machine, and the elements as they embark on quite an eye-opening road trip. “Che” Guevara is in the latter stages of training to be a doctor, specialising in leprosy, and along the way they stop off at a leprosarium where he becomes even further convinced of what he believed before his travels began: that this resource-rich but poverty-stricken continent could not function effectively unless it were to be united into one single political entity devoid of man-made division and self-interest. His companion is less philosophical in his outlook, looking mainly to enjoy his trip and get laid whenever and wherever he can. The complimentary attitudes of the pair, though not always in agreement, and the stunning cinematography provide a poignant setting for this realisation of his diaries of their actual trip. His powers of description are eloquent, emotionally-charged and GGB manages to sensitively combine the vulnerabilities of his character with the visionary aspects of a man who desires something better for himself and the peoples he encounters. It’s sometimes quite funny too, with de la Serna and their unreliable Norton providing some light-heartedness and there are provocative and celebratory cultural references a-plenty as we meet the Inca and the In-capable. This is much more than a travelogue, and it has an curious and exploratory look to it that delivers food for the eyes and the brain - the soul, even. There is something positively mystic about their trip through the snow-capped Andes and this is a compelling and enjoyable piece of cinema.