The Motorcycle Diaries

The boys went on a trip across South America and I really thought they were a bunch of amateurs who are glad that they learned how to start a motorcycle 5 minutes beforehand. They managed to prove this to me several times when they crashed on almost every road they drove on. But there is something about this road movie. At the very least, it will nicely advertise the whole of South America. After watching it I definitely wanted to pack my bag, go to Peru, and experience some nice moments. In the end, I realized that it wasn’t going to be that easy and so I was left with just the memory of this pretty nice movie. The fact that it deals with politics only minutely is an extra bonus. (20/02/2018)

I confess that I have a weakness for Che Guevara in his younger years. I don't want to claim that his "Motorcycle Diaries" dazzled me and changed my view of the world, certainly not, but I can definitely say that I at least understood a little bit about what led Ernesto to become who he became. If you approach the "Motorcycle Diaries" impartially and don't view Ernesto as the crazy revolutionary who thought he would save all of South America and maybe even Africa, you will find that it was about a young man who had ideals, and those ideals were shattered during one journey. Ernesto set out on a journey through South America with his friend Alberto Granado, who outlived him by many years, in order to explore all corners and various climates. Their journey was certainly not easy; besides some comical situations where their motorcycle failed and they ended up in a ditch or stranded on the road, they also faced bigger troubles because Ernesto's asthma often manifested. The weather conditions weren't always favorable, and they occasionally encountered hostility from people. But it was the people who usually surprised them, especially the poor people. Ernesto, a boy from a wealthy family, observed how the poor people lived, the conditions they had to endure, conditions that he never even imagined. These experiences ultimately led to him becoming who he became. He realized how unfair life was for certain social classes and felt that only through revolution, through significant change and the establishment of a new regime, could a better state be achieved for everyone. He didn't succeed once, and in the end, he became a hated person who was better off being executed. "Motorcycle Diaries" is by no means a propagandistic film, nor is it a film that tries to excuse Che Guevara. Ernesto was too young and too different from his future self during his journey. When he experienced the journey during which he wrote the "Motorcycle Diaries," he was a different person. Thoughts of change were already being born in him, but they were not crystallized. "Motorcycle Diaries" as a film is a faithful transcription of the journeys that led to the birth of the person who is still iconic today. I recommend the younger generation, who condemns him, to read his book, watch the film, and then criticize him as a monster. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/12/motocyklove-deniky-proposition-v-zajeti.html (02/03/2013)