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 The Motorcycle Diaries Production NotesLet 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 rickety 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.”
In January 1952, Ernesto (played by Gael García Bernal) is a 23-year-old medical student specializing in leprology. Alberto (Rodrigo de la Serna), age 29, is a biochemist. The two men bid goodbye to their families and to Ernesto’s girlfriend Chichina Ferreyra (Mía Maestro). Flush with a romantic sense of adventure, they pile onto Alberto’s 1939 Norton 500 motorcycle (nicknamed “La Poderosa” [“The Mighty One”]). The aging bike carries them farther and farther away from familiar and comfortable Buenos Aires surroundings, to surprising and exciting destinations. The two friends become as close as brothers.
Over the course of eight months and 8,000 miles, what starts out as a lark becomes a profound journey of discovery, not only of themselves but of a continent filled with infinite sorrow – and infinite hope. From homeless miners to riverboat prostitutes, from lepers to prosperous gentry, Ernesto and Alberto discover an affinity for humanity within themselves, and a determination to change the world.
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Rodrigo De la Serna and Gael García Bernal in The Motorcycle Diaries.