Run time: 120 mins

It’s back! An all-time Rex classic that is so much more than an epic road movie.  Alberto and Ernesto (De la Serna and Bernal), ages 29 and 23, are Buenos Aires medical students who have one last blow-out before life gets serious, ambitiously riding their motorcycle from Argentina to Chile, Peru, Colombia and Venezuela to see the continent they call home but know nothing about. Along the way they have adventures that are hilarious and nerve-wracking–and also eye-opening. By the time they reach Caracas their worlds have changed; the life-loving Alberto might be ready to settle down, while the more introspective Ernesto sets his sights on something larger than medicine. Ernesto is, of course, better known as Che Guevara.

Director Walter Salles films in a documentary style that captures both the intense internal conflicts and the scenic grandeur of Latin America. Eric Gautier’s cinematography has a gritty authenticity that catches images and textures, dwelling in the expressive, worn faces of people along the road. Meanwhile, Rivera’s screenplay is both sensitive and scolding, grabbing hold of life’s joys and injustices. Elegantly drawing out the truth of South America’s history, there’s not a false note in this film.