Carnets de voyage

In 1952 Ernesto "Che" Guevara was a shy, middle class medical student in Argentina. Within a few years, he had become the world's most iconic revolutionary, a personal journey that begun with a physical one, a trip undertaken with a friend around South America. This was an age before budget airlines and backpackers hostels, so the expedition was a hard one, even if it could only have been contemplated by a child of (relative) privilege; and in Walter Salles' film, 'The Motorcycle Diaries', these travels are sympathetically and understatedly recreated, with the story of Guervara's political development the underlying (but subtly handled) theme. The movie showcases the beautiful scenery of Chile and Peru, and convincingly portrays a perhaps more austere age than our own, in which Guevera and his companion might be honoured and humbled by the people they met. The two are presented as appealing characters, in no way heroic but open-minded, human and compassionate; based of Che's own writings, it may not be neutral but although the pair start no revolutions (except for a minor revolt against the nuns in a leper colony), it's still an inspiring story. A world of immense inequality and suffering would be a better place today if more of those fortunate enough to be able to travel were to do so in the spirit of Che.