The Motorcycle Diaries a Film by Walter Salles

The Motorcycle Diaries, a film by Walter Salles, tells the story of how Ernesto Guevara, who would later be known as ‘Che’, went on a trip with his friend Alberto Granado that spanned the continent of South America and caused Ernesto to realize what was happening outside of his well-off life. It shows the change he went through as he discovered the injustice American capitalism was causing in other countries and why he became ‘Che’. The trip starts out for fun, but by the end it is life-changing.
THE EARLY STAGES
1. In the beginning of the film, Alberto and Ernesto are introduced and we are told a couple things about each man. Alberto is introduced first, and is called the pilot by Ernesto since he owns ‘The Mighty One’, an old 1939 Norton 500. We learn his name, that he is 29, that he is chubby, that he is Ernesto’s friend, and that he is a biochemist and calls himself a “wandering scientist”. He wants to finish the impending journey on his 30th birthday.
Next, Ernesto introduces himself as Alberto’s co-pilot, Ernesto Guevara de la Serna, nicknamed “El Fuser”, an acronym of “Furibundo Serna”, or The Furious Serna. He is 23, a medical student specializing in leprosy, and a recreational rugby player. Ernesto also suffers from occasional asthma attacks.
We are given these details so that we know some backstory about each and can possibly relate to them better. It helps to know the names of the people in the movie you are watching and some details can foreshadow things to come, such as Ernesto suffering from multiple asthma attacks on the trip and also helping us understand why they stopped at the leper colony. These details provide exposition, which is necessary for the audience to get to know the characters and understand thing...

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... town where they attend the party and have fun and dance, and in the place where they see the dying woman they start out by having a good time and drinking with two sisters. The mood fully shifts after this as they see the mine soon after and begin the real experience that will change their view of the world.
5. The difference in character between Ernesto and Alberto is conveyed in these early stages by the way they react to being trusted with things and asked to do things. Alberto wants Ernesto to disobey Chichina and use her money to buy them things instead of her something, and Alberto didn’t want Ernesto to warn the German man that he may have a tumor. Also, when asked to see the old women, Ernesto says he will see her while Alberto goes with the two girls to have a good time. These things show the difference in their characters in the early stages of the film.