The Motorcycle Diaries
Brazilian filmmaker Walter Salles (Central Station,Behind the Sunchronicles the epic, 8000 mile motorcycle journey of two friends---one of whom is Ernesto "Che" Guevara---in his compelling story of personal, geographic, and political discovery. Composer Gustavo Santaollala, one of the leading figures in Argentine rock and pop (and the producer behind 2003 Latin Grammy Record and Album of the Year winnerJuanes) infuses Salles' unusual road movie with a multi-faceted score that draws not only on his country's rich national musical heritage, but on the same restless musical instincts Santaollala brought to his equally haunting music for21 Grams. As on that score, his primary instrument is again the guitar, though the seductive electric fretwork of the previous film takes a backseat to acoustic stylings that range from indigenous folk-rooted charm to nervous, electronic-backed soundscapes. Further underscoring the score's expansive, post-modern sensibilities are Maria Esther Zapata's saucy take on the tango-novelty "Chipi Chipi," the composer's own retro-energetic "Que Rico El Mambo" and the evocative contemporary ballad, "Al Otro Lado Del Rio," by Jorge Drexler.--Jerry McCulley