Spoilers
The movie is about Ernesto the middle-class budding young doctor on a "youth will have its fling" tour, rather than about "Che" the revolutionist that he became later in his life. Although the tour indeed has a lot to do in determining the future course of Ernesto's life, we must not let that fore-knowledge distort our vision of the movie.
'Motorcycle Diaries' is exactly what it says it is, the diaries of an eight-month adventure of two young men, although to be exact, the latter part of the journey was actually on foot, after their beloved motorcycle's well-earned 'retirement.' What we the audience proceed to discover, after sharing with them their joys and woes on the trip, is the profound effect it has on their future.
While starting out in Argentina, the goodbye scene with Ernesto's family would be no different from what you might see anywhere in the US, when a middle-class family says farewell to their fresh college grad embarking on a, say, hiking trip in Europe before starting his career. We would also tend to give credit to the parents for not giving Ernesto too much hell for not having finished his medical degree first.
With crisp, fast paced shots, director Walter Salles (Central Station) takes us through the early part of the carefree adventure, through breathtaking South American landscapes. We see how the buddies experience, probably for the first time in their lives, sporadic spells of poverty, until receiving the next installment of funds remitted to them. In the process, we also get some insight into the markedly different characters of the two amigos. Alberto is extrovert, charismatic and could sometimes get a little unscrupulous in order to get what he wants. Ernesto is shy, attentive, and unflinchingly honest. Like the best of friends, they often do not see eye to eye in things, though friendship always prevails. I, for one, find myself empathizing a little more with Alberto, because of the innate rascal in me.
The frivolous mood starts to change after the demise of the Norton 500. The dogged determination of Ernesto starts to emerge as he takes the lead in forging ahead on foot, while Alberto also shows signs of maturing. At this point, you can't help but remember the allusion to the Quixotic aspect of the journey in the beginning of the film and subconsciously recall the lyrics of 'The impossible dream'. After witnessing poverty and injustice, along with endurance and perseverance, through various parts of their beloved continent, Ernesto Guevara and Alberto Granado finally reach the last part of the journey that will change their lives forever. The story of their three weeks' service in a leper colony deep in the Peruvian Amazon is told with simple honesty by director Salles, touching directly your heart without unnecessary harassment of your emotions.
Director Salles' process of making the film includes meeting with Alberto (at 80) and Ernesto's family (widow and three sons), as well as tracing the journey extensively through Argentina, Chile and Peru. Blended with the structured screenplay are improvised material of the actors mingling with the local people as Alberto and Ernesto would have done fifty years ago. In Salles' own words, Motorcycle Diaries is, among other things, a 'coming of age' movie, and a journey that would define 'on both an emotional and a political level' who these two young men would become.
I'm not going to say how marvelous Gael García Bernal and Rodrigo De la Serna are as Ernesto and Alberto respectively. While they deserve all the praises being heaped upon them, what they deserve even more is to be seen by people who are skeptical about these praises.
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