Such is the case with Ernesto Guevara (Gael Garcia Bernal) and Alberto Granado (Rodrigo de la Serna), the lead protagonists in Walter Salles' The Motorcycle Diaries. Both are studying medicine, but both strive for that one last escape.
What de la Serna puts in his work as Granado is a zest for life. He is rarely concerned for what his future holds. He wants to live the moment. I also love the final shot of him, his face expressing an uncertainty as to what his fate will be.
Bernal is different. He possesses a silent intensity, a skill only a few choice actors have. Many of his thoughts are expressed with his face rather than his words, again a rare skill among actors. In all honesty, this is a very bold performance.
Along with the acting, the technical aspects of The Motorcycle Diaries I just love. The main factors being Eric Gauntier's cinematography, Gustavo Santaolalla's music, and Salles' direction. The lush locales Guevara and Granado venture make them appear to be Argentinian versions of Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty, the protagonists of Jack Kerouac's On the Road.
My Rating: ****1/2
I was fortunate to see the film at a special free screening at the Midtown Arts Center back in 2004. That was a great experience to watch. Man, gas was cheap back then and so were ticket prices as I had to drive 30 minutes from my house to go see that film. Now, I rarely go to that theater.
ReplyDeleteI cannot wait to see On the Road, which is directed, as you might now, by Walter Salles, with music by Gustavo Santaolalla- it's rumored to be opening the Cannes festival in May and apparently it's very very good!
ReplyDeleteThis is a really great road movie and Bernal is brilliant. It's good to see him in a non-Almodovar movie. Well-written review of a film I would like to see again.
ReplyDelete