Motorcycle Diaries
Little known fact about Che Guevara: apparently he was stunningly handsome underneath all that hair.
No but seriously, that was a bit of a casting error. As much as I enjoyed watching Gael Garcia Bernal play the lead, I had a hard time believing that that package could be such an egoless humanitarian. I was really sympathetic to his self-discoveries and everything, right up until the point when he reveals that he had spent a mere three weeks at the leper colony. And is on his way home the next day. That information throws the whole story into doubt. Even then, however, I might have been willing to go along with his character, but then Ernesto has that grand moment of jumping into the Amazon so that he could spend his birthday with the lepers whom he loves.
Yeah, okay. If he loves them so much, you'd think he'd want to get to know them for longer than three weeks.
That kind of love is convincing only when you're, uh, unfortunate in the face. As I watched Ernesto embracing all his leper friends after his triumphant swim, I couldn't help thinking, "This looks like the kind of guy who will jack off at night thinking of this very moment." I mean, what else would he get out of it? It's not like he has a genuine bond with these people. It's not like he's appreciating the rare value of a human touch, the way an ugly person or a pariah would. He just gets off on the adoration.
So much for my cynicism. One thing I kind of liked, when I wasn't wearing my "smartass" hat, is of course the idealism. It's refreshing to see, even though it reminds me that keeping such innocence will take you straight down the path of becoming a crazy-eyed revolutionary; case in point. Politics suck, but there are some moments when you have to try to stop being a rock star. I mean, I would love to travel to the Amazon too and cure diseases, but (1) I can't do that because I wasn't born into the lap of luxury and connections, and (2) if I should find myself so lucky one day as to have that opportunity, I sure as hell wouldn't insult everyone there on the first day by preaching to them about how the way they do business makes them rotten people (haha, pun!).
But then, I guess that's why I'm not a crazy-eyed revolutionary. Instead of begging these bourgeoisie for a menial job, I should be stirring up the proletariat and creating a new world order where I can be meaningfully employed. Viva la revolucion!
No but seriously, that was a bit of a casting error. As much as I enjoyed watching Gael Garcia Bernal play the lead, I had a hard time believing that that package could be such an egoless humanitarian. I was really sympathetic to his self-discoveries and everything, right up until the point when he reveals that he had spent a mere three weeks at the leper colony. And is on his way home the next day. That information throws the whole story into doubt. Even then, however, I might have been willing to go along with his character, but then Ernesto has that grand moment of jumping into the Amazon so that he could spend his birthday with the lepers whom he loves.
Yeah, okay. If he loves them so much, you'd think he'd want to get to know them for longer than three weeks.
That kind of love is convincing only when you're, uh, unfortunate in the face. As I watched Ernesto embracing all his leper friends after his triumphant swim, I couldn't help thinking, "This looks like the kind of guy who will jack off at night thinking of this very moment." I mean, what else would he get out of it? It's not like he has a genuine bond with these people. It's not like he's appreciating the rare value of a human touch, the way an ugly person or a pariah would. He just gets off on the adoration.
So much for my cynicism. One thing I kind of liked, when I wasn't wearing my "smartass" hat, is of course the idealism. It's refreshing to see, even though it reminds me that keeping such innocence will take you straight down the path of becoming a crazy-eyed revolutionary; case in point. Politics suck, but there are some moments when you have to try to stop being a rock star. I mean, I would love to travel to the Amazon too and cure diseases, but (1) I can't do that because I wasn't born into the lap of luxury and connections, and (2) if I should find myself so lucky one day as to have that opportunity, I sure as hell wouldn't insult everyone there on the first day by preaching to them about how the way they do business makes them rotten people (haha, pun!).
But then, I guess that's why I'm not a crazy-eyed revolutionary. Instead of begging these bourgeoisie for a menial job, I should be stirring up the proletariat and creating a new world order where I can be meaningfully employed. Viva la revolucion!
posted by Rex at 11:04 PM
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