The iconic Ernesto "Ché" Guevara's epic journey through the vast continent of South America, already chronicled in the popular book The Motorcycle Diaries, is now the subject of a film by the same name, playing in Portland at the Nickelodeon. The Motorcycle Diaries is directed by Walter Salles, who is relatively unknown in the U.S., though he has made several excellent Portuguese and Spanish-language films in the last few years. The movie stars Gael Garc¡a-Bernal (Amores Perros, La Mala Educación) as Ché and first-time actor (and real-life relative of Ché) Rodrigo de la Serna as Ché's sidekick Alberto Granado.
The Motorcycle Diaries follows on the heels of another superb Spanish-language road trip movie, 2001's Y Tu Mamá También, which coincidentally also stars Garc¡a-Bernal. All similarities end there because the primary focus of The Motorcycle Diaries is Ché's evolution from upper-middle class pre-med student to future revolutionary, played out on the lush and spectacular backdrop of Argentinean pampas, Chilean desert highlands, and the verdant backwoods of the Peruvian and Venezuelan Amazon. The beginning scenes provide a window into what Ché's life might have amounted to. He embarks on the journey as a sheltered aspiring leprosy specialist taking a few months off after exams. M¡a Maestro stars as Chichina, his aristocratic fiancée, who lives in what amounts to a replica of a Swiss chalet outside Buenos Aires.
Ché and Alberto set off to tour the circumference of the South American continent on their trusty motorcycle, often finding themselves at the mercy of the elements. Quickly, they realize that they have allies in the peasants they meet along the road and Ché especially takes interest in hearing their harrowing tales of hardship, injustice, and sacrifice. Glimpses of Ché's future destiny are obvious when the pair arrive at Machu Picchu and again when he choses to spend his birthday among lepers after giving a rousing speech about what he has learned in his travels. For the most part, however, Salles shies away from the iconic future of his protagonist, which turns out to be a blessing in disguise, preventing the better-known later half of Ché's life from clouding the narrative.
The result is a heartrending homage, both to Ché's journey and to the people of South America, walking the fine line between chéesiness and poignancy with grace. The backdrop is nothing short of amazing and Garc¡a-Bernal shines yet again in the lead. All in all, The Motorcycle Diaries shouldn't be missed?it's one of the best movies of this year.