La Poderosa

I think I just saw one of the most influential movies of my life.

I'll admit that I don't know a lot about Che Guevara, only that he is an idol to thousands or millions of rebellious teenagers, and that he is an Argentinian revolutionary who led socialist revolutions in Cuba and Guatemala. Beyond that, I don't know much about the man. That is, until on a whim I rented The Motorcycle Diaries. It's an amazingly powerful movie based on the book written by Che Guevara himself that details his life changing journey throughout Latin America and the spirit of change that grew in him while experiencing the turmoils of the common people and farmers of South America. It's an amazing movie, honestly. It takes my favorite genre of movie (travel and self-exploration) and gives it great historical and biographical impact.

It got me thinking on how journeys change and mold us. In the movie, Ernesto "Che" Guevara is taken from his rich and affluent status of a medical student from an upper-class family and molded through his interactions with the poor and suffering of Latin America, instilling in him a love for the oppressed and a desire to help them. Like I said before, I knew nothing of Che Guevara before watching this movie and by watching it, I began to understand why he's the legend he is now. The man had a great sense of sympathy for the downtrodden, to the point where his own health and luxuries were of no importance to him. He had a great heart.

Che Guevara is portrayed beautifully by the Mexican actor Gael García Bernal who does an excellent job capturing the youthful energy and enthusiasm of Ernesto and his gradual change into 'El Che'. I would have believe that Gael actually was Che if he were a little more rugged or messier. I find it hard to believe that Che Guevara managed to be covered head to toe in dirt and still manage to maintain his shirt crisp and white. He needed to give more of an effort of portraying Che as a leader of the people rather than a rich boy with a heart of gold. Granted, the movie documents the journey of a young man and ends with the spark of revolution that propels him into the revolutionary he became, but I would have liked if the movie had explained what political ideas motivated Che Guevara to become a revolutionary rather than sappy scenes of him with the farmers or the laborers or what have you. It's a very sentimental film that really doesn't capture the political energy behind Che Guevara, only shows who and what Che Guevara influenced by his actions.

Regardless, it's an excellent movie. It came out four years ago and you may find it in Blockbuster's foreign films section or at your local library (if you're lucky enough to have a cool library like the Orange County Public Library, winkwink). I highly recommend it to anyone interested in Che Guevara or anyone looking to have their foreign film itch fixed. It's kind of a sappy movie that's not as deep as your initial assumption of it might be, but it won't leave you disappointed.