 Movie poster for The Motorcycle DiariesThe Motorcycle Diaries is a biographical film about how young Ernesto "Che" Guevara (who later gained fame as a Marxist revolutionary) and his friend Alberto Granado travel across South America. The Spanish language movie stars Gael García Bernal as Ernesto Guevara and Rodrigo de la Serna (the real-life Guevara's second cousin) as Alberto Granado.
The film was directed by Walter Salles, and opened worldwide in 2004. The screenplay, written by acclaimed Puerto Rican playwright José Rivera, is based on Guevara's and Granado's journals.
The Motorcycle Diaries was nominated for four awards at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival; the only one it didn't win was the Golden Palm (Palme D'Or). It was also nominated for two 2005 Oscar Award, as Best Original Song and as Best Adapted Script.
Tagline: Let the world change you and you can change the world.
Story overview
Shortly before Ernesto is due to complete his medical degree, he and his older friend Alberto leave Buenos Aires in order to travel through the continent seeking fun and adventures, and to finally reach Venezuela. Their transport is Alberto's ancient, leaky Norton motorcycle, La Poderosa ("The Mighty One").
During the travel they come across a lot of poverty and suffering, for example while volunteering at a leper colony in the north of Peru, or while meeting a couple along their way who had had their land taken away from them by the new large land owners. These experiences change the way Guevara sees the world, making him see its injustices.
In a journey that lasts more than a year, they travel over 12,000 kilometres, from Argentina through Chile, Peru, and Colombia to Venezuela.
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