Alberto (Rodrigo De la Serna), and his pal Ernesto (Gael García Bernal), a doctor, are planning to travel from Buenos Ares, Argentina, via Brazil and Chile to a leper colony in Peru, on an old 1939 Motorcycle.
On this 12,000 KM journey, around every obstacle thrown at them, the two best friends would form a bond that would last a lifetime while simultaneously choosing their own path in life.
Diarios de motocicleta (The Motorcycle Diaries), is an adaptation of a diary written by Ernesto "Che" Guevara when he was 23 years old.
Beginning as a buddy/road movie in which Ernesto and Alberto are looking for women, sex, fun and adventure before they must grow up, the film ends with life altering choices by each man. With the same goals and dreams, the film is about "two lives running parallel for a while." But by the time the film is over, it's clear what each man's destiny has become.
The film was shot in several South American countries, thus eliminating it from contention for the best foreign language film Oscar. This is a crock because it is one of, if not thee best foreign language film of 2004. (Academy rules state that any film to be considered for a nomination must have been filmed ENTIRELY in the country submitting it.)
I can't believe that The Motorcycle Diaries WASN'T nominated for cinematography. From the Atacama Desert in Chile to Machu Pichu in Peru to the Amazon River, the filmmakers managed to capture some of the most spectacular sites in all of South America. Breathtakingly beautiful, the scenery is as beautiful as autumn in New England or the Canadian Rockies in Alberta and B.C.
A misnomer in itself is the Motorcycle of the title, which is lost 1/4 of the way into the film. The motorcycle is more of an illusion than anything else; it is a "vehicle" if you will that is used to sell the film. It is a clever device used to hide that fact that these two best friends grew up to become totally different people.
Plot: 
What starts out as a buddy road-trip ends up to something totally different while still keeping that buddy road-trip feel right to the end.
Visual Effects:
There are few special effects in the film, but when they are used they are very well done. Most of the special effects lie in the breath-taking cinematography: from the sun-drenched Atacama Desert to the very peaks of the Andes mountains, to the foot of Machu Pichu to the mouth of the Amazon river, we see a great deal of South America and it's many indigenous peoples.
The filmmakers captured the "real" South America in bold, colourful tones. This is one of the greatest examples of "nature cinematography" in film. Just like that "Wild Kingdom" guy, the cinematographer new exactly what he was doing.
Sound: 
Jorge Drexler's Oscar nominated song Al Otro Lado Del Río works well with the movie's up-tempo, perky score.
Character Development:
The two best friends start out with no idea how they are going to end up but having very different ideals and views at the end.
Atmosphere:
The promotion that this is a buddy movie about travelling on a motorcycle is grossly over emphasized. But it is still a great film with or without the bike.
The film is hard to follow in places and the English subtitles scroll to quickly to read some times. This tends to make the film more confusing than it really is.
Realism:
The film was based on actual memoirs from the real Che Guevara, and seems to be all true and real enough.
Warren’s Rating:
8.43/10 Is the movie worth your time to watch?
21-02-05
