The film commences in the mid 20th century, in Argentina; Ernesto Guevara de la Serna (Gael Garcia Bernal) is about to graduate from medical school.  Still, discontent with his life and ready for adventure, he teams up with biologist and friend, Alberto Granado (Rodrigo De la Serna), for what will become a several months-long wily adventure through the terrain of western South America a la a beat up, inept war motorcycle.

Leaving behind his mother,Celia de la Serna, his father, Ernesto Guevara Lynch, and his multitude of siblings, Ernesto and Rodrigo load up their motorcycle and head out for the unknown.  Making their way through the rural areas of Argentina, the two first stop at the house of Ernesto's love, Chichina (Mia Maestro).  A well-to-do woman from an equally prosperous family, it seems perhaps, that despite his feelings, things may remain unrequited between the two as a result of economic prospects.  Still, Chichina seems to give her heart, and a covetous $15, to Ernesto in hopes he can bring her back a bathing suit from America at the end of his travels-a gift that will be the butt of many a joke and the temptation of many a hard time during Alberto and Ernesto's adventures thereafter.

While he and Alberto make their way into more indigenous landscape, they tough out the rough weather, including hail and rainstorms, snow, and other formidable weather patterns, seeking shelter and refuge wherever the can and from whomever will offer.  Quickly, Alberto is established as the more cavalier and "showy" of the two; Ernesto humbly following in his trails and bailing the two out of precarious situations that Alberto's mouth often finds them getting into.  Still, their less than 5-star experiences are bringing them into contact with memorable people, and beginning to shape a perspective on both of the men.  Suddenly the distinction between "need" and "want"; culture and commodity, etc. has never been so clear for the two men, particularly Ernesto.

As Ernesto and Alberto fair the formidable snow-filled trek through South America's mountainous terrain, they arrive in Venezuela just in time, receiving gratis work on their motorcycle via their reputation as impressionable doctors.  But a letter from Chichina dampens the mood, and Ernesto soon finds himself instigating a precarious scenario with a fellow mechanic's wife.  Leaving town like exiles, the two quickly head to Peru where Dr. Hugo Pese (Gustavo Bueno) awaits.  There, the two are taken in and sheltered, educated, restoring their health with the good sentiment and will of Dr. Pese and family.  Intent on his leading them to the leper colony where Alberto and Ernesto desire to continue their "medical practice," the two bid adieu to Pese and his less than amiable manuscript and make way for their future at the leper colony.

Here the lives of both men will forever change.  As they heal the sick and destitute, the marginalization of the lepers breaks Ernesto's heart; he quickly finds himself torn at the prospect of leaving behind a people he has nearly come to call family.  Still, all good things must come to an end, and many diary entries later, Ernesto-now evolved into the beginning stages of the notorious persona "Che"-and Alberto return to their homeland, Argentina, where many life altering decisions await.

"Diarios de motocicleta" is a powerful movie that moves the heart and stirs the soul- one can't help but sympathize with the plight of the conflicted Ernesto and understand his gradual evolution in an altruistic political revolutionary.  Moved by the scenery, the indigenous people, the disparity in poverty and health of the poor, in comparison to the upper class in South America, "Diarios de motocicleta" astutely shapes the evolution of Ernesto/"Che,"tracing the origins of the political revolutionary through the remnants and relics of varying South American countries.  In deed, the first sign of "Che" seems to emerge at the heart of the film; Peru's famous Macchu Picchu seems the appropriate origin for the beginnings of the consciousness, that is "Che," as it was the landscape for the great Aztecs, the great people that came before.  Salles pays tribute to Peru's indigenous culture and its native roots with a beautiful homage of Macchu Picchu-with breathtaking landscape contrasting the destitute disparity of the cities that would come after and destroy the greatness that preceded it.  In the wake of the destruction, however, Ernesto's trip to the heart of Macchu Picchu signals a potential return of the past via the hopes and efforts of a man who would become one of the most notorious political revolutionaries of the 20th century and arguably the most notorious of Latin American revolutionaries.  As one critic notes, the film is a "deeply felt examination of the events that inspired the development of a political consciousness, with only a few touches of the hagiography that has developed around 'el Che' and those not until late in the film."

As far as acting talent goes, Gael Garcia Bernal is astounding.  He arrests your disbelief and immerses you in the transformation of his character; Garcia Bernal takes both himself and audience through the transformation from Ernesto to "Che" throughout the film. Rodrigo De la Serna is also brilliant in his role as Alberto Granado; the comedic relief and loyal humanitarian sidekick.

The cinematography is second to none; this much needed homage to South America pays tribute to its lush landscape and its cultural roots with continual panoramas and montages of the individual scenic geography of each country the film documents.  Critics have even observed the impact the "documentary" has made on film in general, in its shedding light to the prospect of South America as the undiscovered "paradise of landscapes":  "[the] cinematography is truly gorgeous, and reminded me how little of the South American landscape we ever see on film in the U.S. The cinematographer has pulled off a major feat in shooting a period film in slightly grainy, sometimes shaky hand-held. equipment. No crane shots or sepia tinting here-the film quality immerses you in Guevara and Granado's experiences and makes them feel very immediate, without sacrificing any sense of history."

In short, this film is just an important of a making for the exposing of the cultural and scenic beauty and uniqueness of South America as it is in hallmarking the life efforts, and the reasons for the emergence of the political consciousness of Ernesto "Che" Guevara.  It is a life story, yes, but the film is also a montage of South America, an homage to Latin American culture, and more importantly, its roots.  The film captures Che's awakening to the social plight of his continent, but so too does the film steep itself in the beauty and humanism of the very cultures that are victim to political struggles of their time: "while the plot revolves around Che's awakening to the social struggles of South America (which are ongoing) there is a rich sense of place, and people, and beauty here."

This film deserves wide spread circulation and notoriety; if not only for its argument as a type of vindication for "Che" Guevara's radical political ideologies, then also as a tribute to the unveiling of the crises of South America which are as much deferred to through the beauty of the landscape that surrounds them as they are underscored in the transformation of Ernesto Guevara throughout his life-altering adventures.

"Diarios de motocicleta" won an Oscar for Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song (Jorge Drexler). Additionally "Diarios de motocicleta" was nominated for an Oscar for Best Writing, Screenplay from Previously Published Material.  "Diarios en la motocicleta" also garnered 25 other critical film awards and 30 nominations including 3 Cannes Film Festival awards and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Language Film (Brazil).

Main Characters:

Gael Garcia Bernal plays Ernesto Guevara de la Serna (Argentina), the man whose trek across South America destined him to become the radical political revolutionary, "Che."

Rodrigo De la Serna plays Alberto Granado (Argentina), Ernesto's loyal friend and biologist.

Mia Maestro plays Chichina, "Che's" first and tragically unrequited love.

Gustavo Bueno plays Dr. Hugo Pese (Peru), the amiable doctor who would lead Ernesto to the leper colony that would change the way he viewed the practice of medicine.