Tagline: Let the world change you… and you can change the world.
Based on the respective diaries of two Argentines, Ernesto Guevara de la Serna (who would later become known as “El Che”) and Alberto Granado, the new film from award-winning director Walter Salles follows a journey of self-discovery, tracing the origins of a revolutionary heart and unveiling the rich and complex human and social topography of the Latin American continent.
In January 1952, Ernesto and Alberto set out on a road trip to discover the real Latin America. Ernesto (Gael Garca Bernal) is a 23-year-old medical student specializing in leprology, and Alberto (Rodrigo de la Serna) is a 29-year-old biochemist. With a highly romantic sense of adventure, the two friends leave their familiar Buenos Aires surroundings on a 1939 Norton 500.
Although the bike breaks down in the course of their eight-month journey, they press onward, hitching rides along the way. As they begin to see a different Latin America in the people they meet on the road, the diverse geography they encounter begins to reflect their own shifting perspectives.
They continue to the heights of Machu Picchu, where the majestic ruins and the extraordinary significance of the Inca heritage have a profound impact on the young men. As they arrive at a leper colony deep in the Peruvian Amazon, the two are beginning to question the value of progress as defined by economic systems that leave so many people beyond reach.
Their experiences at the colony awaken within them the men they will later become by defining the ethical and political journey that they will take in their lives. Let the world change you, and you can change the world.
The Motorcycle Diaries, which world-premiered to a standing ovation at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival, follows an inspiring journey of self-discovery and traces the youthful origins of a revolutionary heart. The rich and complex human and social topography of the Latin American continent is unveiled in all its glory as two friends experience life at its fullest. The film, directed by Walter Salles (Central Station, Behind the Sun), is adapted by José Rivera from the journals of two real-life young Argentines, Alberto Granado and Ernesto Guevara de la Serna – the latter of whom would become “El Che.”
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The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
Directed by: Walter Salles
Starring: Gael García Bernal, Jaime Azócar, Rodrigo De la Serna, Ulises Dumont, Facundo Espinosa, Susana Lanteri, Mía Maestro, Jean Pierre Noher, Mercedes Morán
Screenplay by: Jose Rivera
Production Design by: Carlos Conti
Cinematography by: Eric Gautier
Film Editing by: Daniel Rezende
Costume Design by: Beatriz De Benedetto, Marisa Urruti
Set Decoration by: Carlos Conti
Art Direction by: Graciela Oderigo, Laurent Ott, María Eugenia Sueiro
Music by: Gustavo Santaolalla
MPAA Rating: R for language.
Distributed by: Focus Features
Release Date: September 24, 2004
Visits: 106
