The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)

This is a strikingly picturesque portrayal of the geographical and human landscapes of South America that resonates with the simple human values of justice and compassion. It is the romantic story of a road trip actually taken by Ernesto "Che" Guevara and his friend Alberto Granado, nearly circumnavigating South America, when they were 23-24 and 29-30. It is "based" on "the writings" of Che Guevara and the memories of Alberto, who consulted with the production and appears in the (overly sympathetic) epilog. It implies nothing of their later Communist or revolutionary lives beyond portraying them as adventurous, passionate young men who came to reply on pluck and courage even as the sensitive and poetic (and asthmatic) Guevara begins to perceive the mounting injustices of the ill and impoverished who are evicted and interned wherever the landed and the rich put them. This is a picturebook paean to the vistas and the people of South America even as it paints a hagiographic picture of young Che as a cosseted waif who finds morality and manhood in a Father Damien-like altruism and empathy for the people. It's less historical and moving than Ghandi but oh so panoramic. Five stars.