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Diarios de Motocicleta

The film
Main characters
Language features
Film techniques

The film

Diarios de Motocicleta, which premiered in October 2004, tells the story of a journey undertaken by two young Argentines in 1952 through five Latin American countries, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia and Venezuela. It is a tale about two young men who travel through countries they do not know and about how their trip turns into a journey of self discovery. It can be seen as a road movie in the genre of adventure films. It is in the picaresque tradition, as is the novel Don Quixote de la Mancha.

It is a film about political and emotional choices we make in life. It is also a film about friendship and solidarity, as well as the need to find one’s place in the world, a place for which it is worth fighting.

Main characters

The two main characters, Alberto and Ernesto, are young friends who share certain ideals, a similar socio-economic environment, medically based careers, an interest in exploration, plus a healthy interest in the problems faced by the poor.
La Poderosa, Alberto’s motorbike, his companion and means of transport, acquires the role of a character in the film.

Ernesto
Twenty four year old Ernesto lives with his parents and his four siblings and studies medicine. He should be finishing his studies during the year of the trip. He has suffered from asthma since the age of two. Because of his frequent bouts of illness he has spent much time reading widely and is very knowledgeable about history, politics and science.
Ernesto is shy, especially when it comes to dancing, and is extremely sensitive to the suffering of others. His compassionate behaviour and attitudes offer a glimpse of a future charisma and social commitment.
In the film the role of Ernesto is played by the Mexican actor Gael García Bernal.

Alberto
Alberto is a 29 year old biochemist who works in a hospital. He is restless and needs a change in life. For years Alberto has been dreaming of doing a trip through South America and has set his heart on completing it before he turns thirty. He knows Ernesto through his brother and invites him to join him on the trip aboard his beloved old motorbike.
Rodrigo de la Serna (who in real life is related to Ernesto’s family) plays the role of Alberto brilliantly, thanks to his good humoured personality.

La Poderosa
La Poderosais an old motorbike that travels the roads of South America with its two riders. Riding it the two young men have fun, dream and live life to the full. They set out from Buenos Aires with the motorbike laden with all the equipment they need for their journey.

The old bike rapidly deteriorates under the rigours of the trip and by the time they reach Los Angeles, Chile, they have to accept that they will have to continue their journey without it.

Language features

The two main characters are young university educated men. Their language is that of young people of their social class. In the 1950s, it was becoming fashionable among the young to use swear words which many people considered obscene and offensive.

The language in the film is thoroughly authentic. The Spanish of the River Plate region has been influenced over the years by Italian and French migration into the area and both young men use the ‘voseo’ which is typical of Argentina and Uruguay (Vos vas a tener que …). Along the way they often insult one another and use a colloquial form of Spanish, with typically Argentinian expressions, eg. Juna, Junáme este tipo de ahí and Vos estás colife … Throughout the film the two heroes use nicknames for one another. Ernesto calls Alberto Mial (a contraction of Mi Alberto) and Alberto uses Fúser for his friend (because his battle cry during rugby games was ¡Cuidado, ahí viene el Furibundo Serna!) The film was shot in five South American countries and the supporting cast was chosen from local actors. This is why the accents and intonation of the cast are appropriate and authentic to the different regions in which the story unfolds.

Film techniques

Plot development, sequence of events
Film directors sometimes present the plot and the subject matter in a simple chronological sequence of events. Contemporary cinema, however, makes frequent use of flashback and out of sequence narration to enhance suspense and to maintain a high level of interest in, and involvement by, the audience. Such a structure allows for complication in the plot by offering a multi-layered interpretation of the story.

The plot in Diarios de Motocicleta, based on Ernesto Guevara’s diary entries, follows a linear, chronological order typical of the diary genre or text type which also follows a chronological order. The story unfolds through a mixture of dialogue and Ernesto’s voice-over which serves as a commentary on the action. The voice-over is drawn from Ernesto Guevara’s travel diary and his letters to his mother during the trip. The chronology of the film with place, date and kilometres travelled is clearly shown on the screen at the beginning of each significant change.

Shot composition and framing
The shot composition consists of all the elements within a shot. It is a selective representation of reality, as seen within the confines of a frame. It is carefully thought through, very rarely the product of a chance happening.

Framing refers to the placement of the subject matter within each shot. The subject may be centrally or laterally placed. A character may be seen in profile, from the back or viewed from the front. The numbers of characters in each frame, how much of the background is included and for what purpose are also elements of framing.

The framing, and the way in which all the elements within it are placed, form the shot composition.

Some useful questions to ask when examining a shot composition are:

• What are the elements within the frame?
• How many people can be seen?
• Where are the people positioned within the frame (e.g. right, left, centre, at the front, at the back)?
• How are they shown (e.g. front, back, profile)?
• Is there any eye contact or physical contact between the people in the frame?
• How much of the background is shown?

By examining shot composition, students will be able to discern certain subtleties used by the director to manipulate the audience. An example from Diarios de Motocicleta: framing or shot composition is used to good effect in Extract 3, Scene I. The initial shot composition of Alberto and Ernesto silhouetted in the doorway contrasts with a reverse shot in which the three new characters are framed by the backs of Ernesto and Alberto on either side. Through this visual technique the director is reinforcing the acceptance of the travellers by the locals.

Type of shot and camera angle
The Director, Walter Salles, uses a variety of shots in Diarios de Motocicleta.
The following information and examples will clarify the general terminology that is used in camera shots and angles. A shot is all that is recorded on film from the time the clapboard has been shut to the time the director calls out ‘Cut!’. A lengthy shot (20 to 30 seconds) may convey a feeling of tranquillity whereas a succession of short shots (1 to 5 seconds) will hasten the pace and movement. Film shots are taken from different distances to serve different purposes.

The six basic shots that a cinematographer uses are:

1. Long shots
2. Medium long shots
3. Medium shots
4. Medium close-ups
5. Close-ups
6. Extreme close-ups.

The soundtrack
The sound track includes dialogue, music and sound effects, including ambient sound like traffic noise, slamming doors, train noises, and so on. Tone, speed, pitch and volume/strength of a dialogue all contribute significantly to our perception of a character and the part he/she plays in a scene. The sound affects the message sought by the director. The film’s soundtrack provides a constant backdrop to the action. Elements of the soundtrack to consider include:

1. verbal exchanges
2. sound effects
3. silence
4. music.

Music
The music for Diarios de Motocicleta was written by the Oscar-winning Argentine musician and composer Gustavo Santaolalla. In his music he mixes rock, soul, African rhythms and Latin American folk music.
Four of the songs in the film were, however, not written by Santaolalla. They are:

1. Adiós muchachos, a tango by Julio César Sanders (music) and César Vedoni (lyrics)
2. Chipi chipi, by Polito González and Jorge Cobos, performed by María Ester Zamora
3. Que rico el mambo, written and performed by Dámaso Pérez Prado
4. Al otro lado del río written and performed by Jorge Drexler. This song won the 2005 Oscar for best original music.