Last night Scott, “miss Lishka” (???) and I went and saw the Motorcycle Diaries at Lecky Shads.

It’s the true story of Che Guevara and his friend Mial as they travel across South America by motorbike. Well at least until they crash it into a cow.

I read the diaries as a teenager, and I remember being captivated by the story, it was like a Boys own Adventure or something, but true. The film was a little rushed in comparison, understandably, but still did an excellent job of telling the story.

I was worried it was going to be some sort of middle class pseudo-socialist Che Guevara fan club piece. But to it’s credit it dealt very elgantly and subtley with Che’s growing political awareness, and his sense of injustice. You also get a real glimpse of his character, what made him tick, and importantly why people would have been drawn to him as a leader, he had charisma.

If I ever get the time, sure thing, I’d love to read the diaries again, but in the meantime the film was a nice substitute.