Che

A two-part film by director, Steven Soderbergh, detailing the revolutionary life and death of Ernesto Che Guevara ... brilliantly filmed by Soderbergh (as Peter Andrews).

Part One, the Cuban revolution ... at 1:00 PM

Part Two, Che's effort to export the Revolution to Bolivia ... 4:00 PM ... both at the Landmark on Pico. It was a full day, to say the least.

The whole enterprise flirts with boredom - endless slogging through the jungle - moving at a snail's pace - punctuated by a few moments of military action, but this is not about the fighting, it's about the man, his incredible energy and vision and his slow-motion plunge into death in the Bolivian jungles.

This is a bio-pic ... though I nodded off a few times, I found myself entranced - the story is told, and told well. I wanted to see what was going to happen next!

This is not an actor-driven film, though Benicio Del Toro portrays Che with convincing style. All of the acting is well-done, but the tone is "documentary" - unsteady camera work, the interspersing of black and white "news real" footage - some actual from the Cuban Revolution, but the New York City appearance of Che at the UN, had the grainy quality of archive footage. I really liked this element.

The only moment that seemed a bit strange to me - mega-star Matt Damon (Fr. Schwartz) has a brief role - fine as it goes, but I wish Soderbergh had stayed with lesser lights. This cameo didn't seem to fit.

It was fun to see Lou Diamond Phillips ... haven't seen enough of him lately. He brings a quiet intensity to his role - that of a Bolivian Communist, Mario Monje, who's caught between the party and the Revolution, initially helping Che, then, perhaps, betraying him.

Dialog is spare, utilitarian - the impression is clear: this isn't about words; it's about commitment, a willingness to give everything for the sake of the poor. Though a philosopher, Che is a revolutionary - it's action, not words, that count. But often with a few well-chosen words, Che inspires and disciplines his fighters, giving them some primordial - vision for what could be, and the willingness to pay the requisite price.

The slow pace also is the message: Che's effort in the Bolivian jungles was a slow march to death. The mystery explored is why the Revolution succeeded in Cuba but failed in Bolivia. A different time, a unique set of conditions, a United States ready to assist Bolivia when the US did so much less in Cuba? Who knows for sure.

The other mystery, I suppose, is Che himself. Why did he leave Cuba? Apparently the settled life was not for him. His was the life of the jungle, the armed struggle against oppressive regimes. Married and with children - no jungle liaisons with beautiful women, Che is all business, or shall I say, all Revolution. I wonder how his family felt. How have they fared since? What's up with his children?

Makeup does a fine job here - as we watch Che grow older, weak with hunger and beset with a nagging asthma that often leaves him gasping for breath. Controlled with medication, but in the last months of the Bolivian effort, having quickly fled the advance of government troops, his medication was left behind. Like everything else in those final months, it all went wrong.

Will a film like this enjoy commercial success?

Hard to say, but it's surely a contribution exploring the life of a world-recognized icon.

Motorcycle Diaries - 2004

Off on the "Mighty One," their trusty Norton 500, for an 8-month adventure around their America; so it begins for Ernesto and Alberto.

Already friends, on the threshold of careers, they embark upon a life-changing adventure. I suppose if there's a lesson here, it's this: "Stay home!"

If you don't, you're likely to see and experience things that will alter your life and lay a claim upon your soul, a claim that cannot be shaken or denied.

Ernesto "Che" Guevara and Alberto Granado see the beauty of their America, the wonder of its people, and the vast injustice that governs so many lives.

This marvelous film explores how a soul is shaped, how a conscience is stirred, how a life forms its commitments. Surely not all at once, but in bits and pieces, over time. Like planting seeds, they take their time and grow, and then still the wait for flower or fruit.

Without being overly dramatic, with terrific bits of humor, neither are portrayed as saints, but revealed as young men who who long to see life - as the young always do - but doing it from a motorcycle and with limited means, they see life on the street and in the field. They get close to people, close enough to see their faces, the often haunting look of the frightened and desperate.

Along the way, they meet the generous and the cruel, the kept and the keeper. We're all part of vast systems, and it's within these systems that evil takes systemic root - hard to identify, more than anyone person, but pervasive and murderous.

A love-letter for South America, with its vistas and people - sometimes a remarkable feel as if it were a documentary. Be sure to check out the special features - how it was made.
In all regards, a film worthy of its accolades.