Rodrigo De la Serna and Gael Garcia Bernal are on the road in Walter Salles’s THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES
THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES (DIARIOS DE MOTOCICLETA) (Walter Salles, 2004)
IFC Center
323 Sixth Ave. at West Third St.
Sunday, December 16, 6:30
Series runs December 14-20
212-924-7771
www.ifccenter.com
In Walter Salles’s road movie The Motorcycle Diaries, Gael Garcia Bernal and Rodrigo De la Serna star as buddies Ernesto Guevara de la Serna and Alberto Granado, who hop aboard the Mighty One, an old, dilapidated Norton motorcycle, on a grand adventure across South America, on their way to work at a leper colony. While fun-loving Alberto is out for action, the more serious Ernesto wants to remain true to his love, Chichina (Mia Maestro). As they scam people for food, drink, mechanical help, and a place to sleep, they learn a lot more about life than they expected, especially Ernesto, who gets caught up in the plight of the poor, the sick, and the homeless, laying the groundwork for his revolutionary leadership in Cuba (where he is more well known as Che Guevara). The film, based on the writings of Ernesto and Alberto, is beautifully shot on location by Eric Gautier and excellently directed by Brazilian Salles, who previously gave us the wonderful Central Station and the heartbreaking Behind the Sun. Stick around for the credits, which begin with photos of Ernesto and Alberto from the actual trip. The Motorcycle Diaries is screening December 16 at 6:30 in a new 35mm print as part of the IFC Center series “Road Movies: Directed and Selected by Walter Salles,” in conjunction with the December 21 theatrical release of Salles’s adaptation of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road. The series also includes such films as Central Station, Edgar G. Ulmer’s Detour, and John Ford’s The Searchers.