The Motorcycle Diaries

Synopsis: In 1952, twenty-three year old medical student Ernesto Guevara de la Serna - Fuser to his friends and later better known as 'Ernesto Che Guevara' - one semester away from graduation, decides to postpone his last semester to accompany his twenty-nine year old biochemist friend 'Alberto Granado' - Mial to his friends - on his four month, 8,000 km long dream motorcycle trip throughout South America starting from their home in Buenos Aires. Their quest is to see things they've only read about in books about the continent on which they live, and to finish that quest on Alberto's thirtieth birthday on the other side of the continent in the Guajira Peninsula in Venezuela. Not all on this trip goes according to their rough plan due to a broken down motorbike, a continual lack of money (they often stretching the truth to gain the favor of a variety of strangers to help them), arguments between the two in their frequent isolation solely with each other, their raging libidos which sometimes get t
Director(s): Walter Salles
Production: Focus Features
  Won 1 Oscar. Another 35 wins & 47 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.8
Metacritic:
75
Rotten Tomatoes:
83%
R
Year:
2004
126 min
$16,680,023
Website
5,847 Views


THIS IS NOT THE TALE OF IMPRESSIVE DEEDS|IS A PIECE OF TWO LIVES TAKEN IN A MOMENT|WHEN THEY WERE CRUISING TOGETHER ALONG A GIVEN PATH|WITH THE SAME IDENTITY OF ASPIRATIONS AND DREAMS|Ernesto Guevara de la Serna, 1952

The Plan:
To travel 8 thousand kilometers in four months

The method:
Improvisation

Objective:
Explore the Latin American continent|that we only know by books

motorcycle diaries

Good Night Granado

Equipment:
"La Poderosa" (The Powerful)

A '39 Norton 500 that's battered and leaks

The Pilot:
Alberto Granado

A chubby friend, 29 years old and biochemist

self proclaimed scientific vagabond

The Pilot's dream: crown the trip with he's 30th birthday

Copilot:
That would be me

Ernesto Guevara de la Serna

"El Fuser", 23 years old

- Ernesto is going away?|- No, Ernesto stays

Ernesto, could you takes us with you, please

Look dad, I'm sorry, but no matter how|many times you tell me...

Please Ernesto, you are only 3 assignments|away from your MD title

And that can wait

MD student

Leprosy specialist

Amateur Rugby player

Hey Fuser...nice Fuser!

And occasionally, asthmatic

Departure date... January 4th

The route:
from Buenos Aires to Patagonia|and then Chile

then to the north up to 6 thousand meters|by the spine of the Andes to Machu Picchu

From there, to the lepers home of San Pablo|in the Peruvian amazonia

Final Destination: the Peninsula of Guajira in Venezuela|at the north point of the continent

We settle at the Peninsula of Guajira, the point of this great continent

Mouths full of wine, nice music

That beer is good, ah?

- Fuser, on January 4th, you should be done with all your exams, right?|- Yes

- If you want, i can make a detour to Miramar to visit your little girlfriend|- "little girlfriend"

A couple of days

- Look Fuser, look at that guy over there|- What?

Do you want your life to be like that?

You don't want your life to be like that, Fuser

What you want is to f*** in every country in South America

Hey boy...and in every town if we are lucky enough|That's and extra ingredient, right

What we had in common: our restlessness, our dreaming spirit

and the untiring love for the route

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA|January 4th, 1952|Km 0

Let's go Ernestito, we don't have the whole day

- Isn't it too much Granado?|- Not enough chief. Norton 500, "this" is a motorcycle

Your son is in good wheels, don't worry

You should expect some difficult times son

But the truth is that i always dreamed of doing something like this

And i have to confess that if i had a couple less years on me...|I would jump right along with you on that motorcycle

Try to think that i do it for the both of us

- 10 years planning this trip, uncle|- Since you were a kid

Meanwhile...I trust you eh?

And the revolution uncle, for when?

Here? In a century

- Are you already leaving?|- Yes, Im off

You should only worry about taking your medicines, nothing more, ok?

And writing me...

The most beautiful letters you have ever read mom

- Bye, my love|- You'll see. Bye. I love you

Bye

Bye little sister, take care

Bye man

Send me postcards

Ok, stop it or Ill start crying. Please

Take care, ok?

Just like Don Quixote had Rocinante and Saint Martin had his mule

We have "La Poderosa"

- Yeah, that pisses oil|- Yes, pisses oil, but what Im trying to say is that|in this precise moment

The young Fuser and myself are embarking in a trip|to the most remote places of the human spirit

where we will meet new lands, listen to new anthems, eat new fruits...

Granado...Im making you responsible. If something happens to Ernesto Ill find you.|Put on the handkerchief darling

Don't worry mam, he will come back to become|the doctor we all want him to be

It better be

Ok, is time to leave!

Animal!

Careful with that bike!

Dear mom...Buenos Aires is behind us

behind is as also the miserable life

the faculty, the exams and the dissertations that make you sleepy

Before us lies all of Latin America

From now on we will only trust in "La Poderosa"

I wish you could see us. We look like adventurers|and inspire admiration and envy everywhere

Go Mial. Assume aerodynamic road position

C'mon baby, don't fail me baby.|C'mon, c'mon

What happened Mial?!

I'm glad to have left behind civilization, and be closer to the earth

Wait, something is coming out...something is coming out

Fuser, are you alright?

What happened puppy?

Are you alright?

- What the f*** is that?|- What the f*** does it look like?

- A f***ing dog?!|- Oh f***, you are a shitty driver...

What the f*** is that dog doing on the bike?

Is for Chichina and his name is Kamba

Pick up the bike.

Miramar, Argentina|January 13th, 1952|Km 601

Where the f*** are we? Switzerland?

- Good morning|- Good morning

- Chichina?|- She's inside with the rest of the family

That bike is giving you problems, uh?

Esteban, please tell us about your trip

It was great Don Horacio,|i had the opportunity to take a seminar in Cambridge

and stay a couple of weeks in London,|a fascinating city

- What a privilege!|- Yes it was

- Esteban is getting his PhD soon, right?|- Yes

- Medicine?|- No, Law

Ah, law

Sorry.

Is your turn, come

I never saw a pig who wanted to dance, never.

C'mon

Knock it off!

- With this hand...back...side|- What are you laughing at?|- I'm laughing at you.

Tonight?

My dad ask aunt Roxanna not to take her eyes off of me

My mom promised the Lady of the Valley that she would|walk to her sanctuary if we broke up

And your parents can't see that the more they bury the diamonds,|the more decided is the pirate to steal them?

Believe me, this diamond wouldn't mind being stolen

Dance

Look

Let me see your bathroom

- Good night|- Good night ladies

Aunt Roxanna, which room is mine?

Get away Kamba!

- How many days did you say we were staying here?|- You already know|- Two

- And how many days have we been here?|- If you become a Doctor, will you operate with wire too?|- Six days, Fuser

Someone will see us

If you'd stay we could do many things, Ernesto,|but only if you'd stay

I didn't like the sound of that

- What do you want me to say? That Im going to wait for you?|- I told you Im coming back

- Yes, i have the dog as proof|- You didn't like it?

What do you want Ernesto, what do you want to hear?|That Im going to wait forever,|that Ill wait for months and months till you come back?

- What's going on?|- What do you want? What do you want?

I'd like you to stay like this forever. Quiet.

I want to look at you, cause Im not going|to see you for a long time

Of course Im going to wait for you,|but please don't take an eternity

- And how long is an eternity?|- That's slippery ground mister

I'm not going to touch you

Did i hit you? Did i hurt you? Did i hurt you?|That was a trick, a very bad trick

Ok lovebirds...is time to leave.|Fuser

Miss Ferreira...|Thanks for everything

"I used to listen the bare feet splashing in the ship|"And had a feeling of the faces darkened by hunger

"My heart was a pendulum between her and the street

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Jose Rivera

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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