The Motorcycle Diaries

Composite Score: 82.43

Starring: Gael García Bernal, Rodrigo de la Serna, Mía Maestro, Jean Pierre Noher, Gustavo Bueno, Jorge Chiarella, Ricardo Velásquez, Carlos “Caitro” Soto de la Colina, Delfina Paredes, and Antonella Costa

Director: Walter Salles

Writer: Jose Rivera

Genres: Adventure, Biography, Drama, History

MPAA Rating: R for language

Box Office: $57.66 million worldwide

Why should you Watch This Film?

                The Motorcycle Diaries is a film based on the accounts of Che Guevara and Alberto Granado about the early days of their friendship and a transcontinental road trip that the two of them took across South America that was formative for both young men. It features Gael García Bernal as Ernesto Guevara and Rodrigo de la Serna as Alberto Granado. Though it is about young revolutionaries, the film serves more as a look at friendship and a coming-of-age story than anything else. Very little of Che’s political leanings make their way blatantly into the film, so even people who disagree with his methods should still find it highly enjoyable as the two men travel across South America and experience its peoples and cultures.

Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?

                Because it is based on the two men’s actual accounts of events, there are some moments in the middle of the film where it drags a bit / moments that feel unnecessary to the wider story being told. Ernesto’s asthmatic attack after swimming in cold water in Chile does little to create true drama in the film and complicates the relationship between the characters in a way that seems to resolve itself off-screen, and therefore unnecessarily. Similarly, some of Ernesto’s medical pursuits and diagnoses begin to feel redundant in hindsight, as many of them occur in the film’s second act, and each one reinforces the same statement – that the poor in Latin America (and everywhere else) suffer unfairly and often in ways that could be prevented if money was not an issue. Given that the film’s final act focuses on Ernesto’s and Alberto’s time in a leper colony and that most of the resolutions are made there, the earlier encounters could have been fewer and still delivered a similar impact.

So wait, why should you Watch This Film?

                As a character study in friendship and coming-of-age film about two real historic figures, The Motorcycle Diaries is a triumph. The constant back-and-forth between the two leads shows a depth of friendship that is rarely seen in film, exploring the highs and lows, the frustrations and the celebrations, of the men’s relationship, culminating in photographs of the two men on their trip and a shot of the real Rodrigo looking both hopeful and sentimental about the life of his friend. In addition, the character development of both Ernesto, from the young, soft-spoken idealist to the seasoned revolutionary speaker, and Rodrigo, from the fiery and crafty rascal to the grounded medical professional, is well-played-out throughout the film. Both are given clear character beats that show how the men ended up becoming who they did (both in the film and in reality). It’s really fun to watch.

                Complementing the solid story themes are the performances of the two leads. Rodrigo de la Serna’s Alberto is every bit the wild scamp at the film’s start before morphing into his more mature and caring final role. His charisma carries the role throughout the film, making him a lovable, if at times frustrating companion, to Gael García Bernal’s Ernesto. Bernal similarly delivers one of his best performances as Ernesto Guevara, a young man not totally sure of his place in the world who comes to focus his passion on helping the less fortunate in Latin America. His performance evolves skillfully from subdued to passionate as the film progresses and his character develops into the man he will eventually become. Bernal does a great job as this young version of a revolutionary and should be commended.

                The film’s two strong leads help shape its story of friendship and growing up into something great, making The Motorcycle Diaries’s place among the Greatest Films of All Time make perfect sense. Though its second act drags a bit in terms of pacing, the overall message of the story – helping your fellow man – and development of its characters helps make it more than watchable. This is an all-time great foreign-language film and history film. It is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video if you are interested in checking it out.