10 Awesome Road Movies
8. The Motorcycle Diaries
The Motorcycle Diaries is a 2004 biopic by Water Salles where he clearly honed his road-trip movie-making skills. The film portrays the journey of 23 year old Che Guevara who was then known as Ernesto. Set in 1952, Ernesto embarks on an expedition with his friend Alberto Granado. As with many of our road films you can retrace the protagonists steps with Che Guevara themed holiday packages that have become highly popular since the release of this film. Where are they going? Ernesto and Alberto initially set out on a rusty Norton 500 motorcycle that they christen The Mighty One. They want to see as much of Latin America as they can, covering more than 5000 miles in four and a half months from Argentina to Chile, Peru, Columbia and Venezuela. They hope to make use of their status as doctors by getting free food and accommodation. Alberto is also a bit of a ladies man and he plans on picking up some good looking locals along the way. Their plans come to a halt when The Mighty One gives out and the two are forced to continue on foot. They come across various outcasts who lead unfortunate lives due to wrong doings imposed by the government such as Inca cultures and exploited Peruvian Indians. At a leper colony in San Pablo Ernesto witnesses how patients are separated from health care due to the dangerous Amazon river. Ernesto defies the wishes of the health care professionals and treats his patients without gloves defying the imposed hierarchical order. He also spends his birthday amidst the sick rather than partying along with Alberto and the other healthy members of staff. At this point their carefree trip has turned into to a life-changing series of events that will inspire Ernesto into revolutionary action. At the end he no longer sees Latin America as a group of individual nations; he sees a single entity in need of a continent wide strategy towards freedom.