This is the story of a journey, a journey across a continent and a journey towards social awareness as well. In 1952 two friends, medical student Ernesto Guevara (Gael García Bernal) and biochemist student Alberto Granado (Rodrigo De la Serna) decided to set off on a trip across South America to sightsee, for the adventure and to reach a leper colony in Peru where they hoped their expertise would do some good. They began from their home in Buenos Aires, Argentina, planning to arrive at Venezuela in time for Alberto's birthday. Their transport would be an old motorbike which they over-optimistically hoped would take them the whole way, and in January their travels commenced...
Adapted by Jose Rivera (who co-created the television series Eerie, Indiana, incidentally) from the factual books by Guevara and Granado about their escapades, The Motorcycle Diaries (or Diarios de Motocicleta if you prefer) was a look at how an icon was created, in this case legendary revolutionary Che Geuvara. Except it isn't really, it's a loose telling of two friends and their life changing experience that has a semi-improvised appearance, so if you're looking for any inspiring, radical politics, or any politics at all really, then you may come away from this feeling short-changed.
If the film has one thing going for it then that will be the glorious scenery from Argentina, up the "backbone" of the Andes and all the way through the Amazon Jungle to the very north of the continent. The landscapes allow a truly epic mood to a story that is really no more than your common or garden road movie, with the attraction of a charismatic and famous face at its heart. No, not Che Guevara, Gael García Bernal, as it's he who shines in what peristently verges on being very ordinary indeed, relying solely on its protagonist's future infamy to sustain interest through some overfamiliar narrative conventions.
Guevara falls in love shortly before he's even got out of Argentina, with Chichina (Mía Maestro), yet even though they spend mere days with each other at her father's country house he has her promising to wait for him so he can see her on the way back. Well, we all recognise how holiday romances turn out, and this wouldn't be out of place in any light hearted film with a holiday theme, but director Walter Salles has bigger fish to fry. The title may be The Motorcycle Diaries, but the bike conks out before they're even halfway there; after they've fallen off the machine every ten minutes perhaps it's for the best.
So the travels ramble on, with Guevara and Granado encountering a randy housewife whose husband attempts to chase them out of Chile or two young sisters who they persuade to look after them, but gradually the middle class Guevara's consciousness is raised as he finds his feet and realises he wants to help the disadvantaged. By the time the duo reach the leper colony, he is being filled with righteousness at all he has seen, and the man he will become is making himself plain. Fun loving Granado is meant to contrast this, but he comes across as simply shallow, and the romantic ideal of Che (who was irresistable to women, apparently) is also emerging, only more strongly than the political side. So what you have is great looking but blandly lacking any passion; every so often Bernal will get a meaningful look in his eye, but it's not enough to stay true to the real man's supposed ideals even if they are still being formed by the ending. The result is suspiciously close to politely admiring somebody's exotic holiday snaps. Music by Gustavo Santaolalla.
