Review of The Motorcycle Diaries (2004) by Graeme R — 11 Nov 2011

I forget exactly how I first heard about this foreign film, but I actually have been looking forward to seeing it for quite some time. Gael Garcia Bernal had won me over Y Tu Mama Tambien and supposedly he's a rising star in the Latin film industry, so I assumed he has an eye for good scripts.

What I found in this movie was a highly intelligent and excellently acted story about a young Che Guerva, a man who eventually becomes a communist revolutionary. This tale supposedly tells us how he comes to form his beliefs after a cross-continental trip thru South America with his best friend.

While I thought it definitely contained all the elements for an award winning film (such as great direction, beautiful cinematography, and a powerful script), to me it was missing that something extra that made it worthwhile.

Bernal's character seemed like a very compassionate, altruistic, and outspoken person from the very beginning, so I honestly did not see the evolution of his character like I was expecting. At the very least, though, it deserves the many accolades it got and would recommend this film to other foreign film enthusiasts.