Diarios de Motocicleta

I think there were several scenes throughout the movie that helped shape Ernesto's personality as a future leader. Ernesto almost finished med school, but I got the feeling that he didn't enjoy all of the rules and regulations he was expected to follow as a doctor. He longed for the open road, and for freedom. Ernesto was very loving and caring, and his heart went out to all of the people who were victims of the injustice that he witnessed.

Ernesto and Alberto first come across a man that they are trying to stay with for the night for shelter and some food. The man states that he wants Ernesto to look at a bump on his neck. Ernesto concludes that it is a tumor and that it should be looked at right away, while Alberto insists it is a cyst, and is benign. This showed that Ernesto was an honest man, and that he wouldn't lie to another person for his own benefit. On the other hand, Ernesto was willing to falsify some information for their benefit when he had the newspaper article published (in this case, to get "the mighty one" fixed). But it didn't harm anyone in the process.

Ernesto then came across a dying woman, who he knew he couldn't help, but treated her with compassion and showed empathy for her. To me a successful leader needs both of these qualities. Another example is when their bike broke down, Ernesto was determined to carry on, which showed persistence, which is also a needed quality in a leader. He saw injustice with the miners who chose to pick workers who were tired and dehydrated, and he tried to fight for them, but was shut down by the miners who only saw the workers as unimportant and didn't care if they were tired or dehydrated. Ernesto also gave $15 American dollars to a couple that he met because he knew they needed it more than him. Again, this showed his compassion for others and his unselfishness in helping them.

When Ernesto stayed at the San Pablo leprosy colonies, he was well liked by all of the inhabitants, and even convinced a woman to have a surgery that she previously refused to everyone else. Ernesto was somehow able to get through to her that she needed this surgery to save her arm. I am sure that she saw how much he cared, and that he wanted the best for her, even though she had leprosy. Another scene that I thought was pretty neat was when Ernesto refused to wear gloves at the colony. He saw it as odd, and refused to wear the gloves, which really surprised the inhabitants, but was neat to see.

Ernesto had so many qualities of a great leader, so I am sure I have missed more examples. But these were the scenes that stuck out for me in which Ernesto showed his potential for the great leader he was going to become.

Machuca

What thoughts do I have about the interactions between these two children?

I thought that Pedro and Gonzalo formed a very endearing relationship. Gonzalo stood up for Pedro from the beginning. He knew what it felt like to be harassed and bullied around, and saw an opportunity to become friends with Pedro. Neither of the two were judgemental against the other when they went to each others homes, even though their experiences there were similar. Gonzalo was often ridiculed by Pedro's family and friends, constantly being called a snob and even being harassed by Pedro's father. Pedro is welcomed mostly by his family, except for his sister's boyfriend, who ridiculed Pedro. These boys developed a strong friendship until politics got in the way, of all things!

Were you able to see the differences between the two social classes, the rich and the poor in Chile?

Most definitely. The movie made it very clear about how both classes lived and interacted with each other. I thought that the two scenes where each class conducted their own protests was very interesting. Opposers of Allende (the rich) were chanting, "The country is not for sale! Jump if you're not a commie!", while supporters of Allende (the poor) were chanting, "Jump if you're not a mummy!" The mummy referred to being rich and spoiled. All the while Father McEnroe was the pivot point on the see-saw between the two classes. At school he preached to respect one another and was trying to teach the boys how to be real gentlemen, and to be different from what the country of Chile was turning into. Gonzalo lived in a very nice neighborhood and had a large, beautiful home; Pedro lived in a shantytown where there were dirt floors and several family members all crowded into one living space.

What messages can you obtain from this film? Add your personal thoughts about film, content, culture, issues, etc.

This film was made so the whole world would know the history of Chile, and what the country and its citizens went through. It highlighted the friendship between Pedro and Gonzalo- two boys from completely different backgrounds become friends even though their lives were polar opposites. The political climate was about to come to a head, with each boy representing the two social classes. When the political climate changed, so did the boy's relationships. They became consumed with the hatred that both sides had for each other, and became absorbed in the insulting, abusive ways that people showed during this time. At the end of the movie, I'm not sure whether Pedro and Gonzalo were able to come to an understanding. Pedro was being taken away and his home being destroyed while Gonzalo was able to escape the soldiers only because of his physical appearance. This movie exemplified what social and political situations can do to relationships, both inside and outside your community.