Motorcycle Diaries

OK, I'm a few days behind on my films, and can't summon the energy to continue to produce the uncannily insightful, articulate, and thought-provoking reviews to which you've all become accustomed. So I'm picking up the pace a bit.

Walter Salles' M/Diaries was fun early on, then pretty cool and carefully considered, and always beautiful to look at. It's made me curious to read more about my man Che, though it's focused on the period before Che became Che.

Act 1 is all energy and light adventure as the Future Che (the Man Who Would be Che) and his randy buddy (Granado) travel across S. America on a pitifully old motorcyle. Lots (too many probably) of Butch Cassidy / Sundance Kid type chases out of towns. The film (and Che) develops a conscience as the two encounter the poor fortunes of the native people throughout S.Am. Finally in Act 3 they arrive at their original destination - a leper colony, where they work and learn more about the people of the land. This act felt about ten minutes too long - we seemed to be living through many daily experiences at the colony without seeing much change in Che.

The admittedly sparse dramatic tension is created from knowing that this young, quiet hotty (Gael Garcia) eventually becomes a famous revolutionary, and seeing when and how it happens. Salles certainly doesn't make the ties overpowering, and at he may have left the transition too subtle. When F/Che announces at the end that everything has changed for him because of all of the injustice he has seen, my first reaction was "injustice? oh...right".

Re-reading this, it sounds highly critical, but in fact I thoroughly enjoyed the film, so you figure it out.