Even if you are unfamiliar with the name, you almost certainly know the image.
Che Guevara’s angry, heavily-bearded face has become an iconic figure of rebellion in popular culture. Given that those who sport his image on their shirts, purses or keychains often know little about Che himself, the symbol instead stands for little more than the fact that he looks good on a shirt. The Motorcycle Diaries, a new film about Che’s youth, takes this ignorance into account as it tries to sketch a portrait of a man who would become a legend. In paying tribute to such an under-explained figure, The Motorcycle Diaries, directed by Walter Salles (Central Station), walks a fine line between intimate portrait and hero worship.
The film begins in 1951 Argentina, where Ernesto “Che” Guevara, played by Gael Garcia Bernal, was born and raised. Twenty-three years old and well on his way to becoming a doctor, Che decides to embark on a road trip with his good friend Alberto Granado (Rodrigo de la Serna). Both view the motorcycle trip as a last chance for freedom before settling down to their careers. The 8,000-mile, circuitous journey from Argentina to Venezuela soon turns into a life changing experience for both men.
Traveling across ranches, mountains and rainforests on a single motorcycle, Che and Alberto encounter migrant workers, communists and lepers-all of whom leave an indelible impression on the young men. Just as their outdated motorcycle has a tendency to break down, their views on humanity and the world crumble when challenged with the world they find around them. Progress in the film is better measured by the changing attitudes of the central characters than the odometer.
Bernal easily conveys the conflicting emotions of Che. In the hands of a lesser actor, Che might have remained too distant and unreadable, allowing the film to slip into hagiography. But Bernal’s ability to allow the viewer inside his head creates a feeling of empathy with the young Che. Bernal also starred in 2001’s fantastic Y Tu Mam? Tambi?n, another Spanish-language coming of age film about two young men on a life-changing road trip. Drawing comparisons between the two films is easy, but they differ largely in how they choose to approach the topic. Y Tu Mam? Tambi?n’s passion was much more about desires that have been repressed, and while it touched on the social inequalities in Mexican society, it didn’t have the scope or focus of The Motorcycle Diaries. Bernal’s Che is almost a saint compared to his character in the previous movie; what little lust appears in Diaries comes largely from Alberto’s character.
The film falters slightly in fleshing out the relationship between Che and Alberto. De la Serna, in his first feature film, acts as a foil to Bernal, but little else. The intimate portrait created by Bernal is almost undone by the poorly written and underdeveloped de la Serna character. The decision to play Alberto as an unabashed Che admirer is a disappointment, as it allows the audience to slip into lazy Che-ogling rather than pursue the informed character study that the film aims to provide.
The Motorcycle Diaries is strongest when it takes the focus off the lead characters and puts it on those who change them. Salles masterfully conveys the hopelessness of the indigenous people without pity or stereotype. When Che and Alberto stop at a leper colony in Brazil, the audience begins to feel for the poor and the dying, just as Che does. In attempting to understand those who change Che, The Motorcycle Diaries succeeds in revealing Che himself. The film never settles for worshipping the man; rather, it seeks to explain how he came to be worshiped. Perhaps The Motorcycle Diaries can make Che more than a vacuous image to the youthful, rebellious masses.
The Motorcycle Diaries is currently playing at Loews Dupont 5.
