Steven Soderbergh’s Che

Screens : Tue Oct 7: 6

I tried to come up with some comprehensive thoughts on Che all day long yesterday and kind of failed miserably at it. I think what it comes down to is that while the film is supremely well done and about something that I find extremely compelling, it didn’t leave much of an impact on me.   I think this is because in many ways Che is like a history book - that is to say that it simply recalls what happened without the added component of human drama.

As Soderbergh  (director) himself explained, this was Che, Che was not an emotional person, he was all about the task at hand.   And thus we are left to watch the task at hand in Cuba and Bolivia, where the two halves of Che take place (the film works as two, 2-hour parts).   The first half is shot like a classic Hollywood film and in many ways from the moment it starts you can feel success in your gut (outside of the fact that the narrator tells you there will be success).

On that same page the second half is shot in a different aspect ratio (1.85) and is all handheld and likewise you feel the outcome in your gut - this time though it is a feeling of dread.   Not only do you have to watch the main character that you saw triumph head towards failure - you are forced to remember that revolution is a very rare thing.

And this is what Che mostly is, while we see his actions, we get very little insight into the man himself.   In the first half, Che meets a woman who becomes his guide in the smaller towns of Cuba.   While you suspect they may like each other, what you see on the screen is two professional revolutionaries.   When the second half begins you barely get a few minutes where you see that they married and now have 5 children.   Outside of this scene, not much exists to give you insight into Che as a emotive person, from here on out (and before) he writes, he reads and he fights (all despite his asthma.)

One important note is that Benicio Del Toro is nothing short of amazing.   He easily commands the film, which, given the lack of personal storyline of his character, is actually quite impressive.    On the other hand it feels like Soderbergh himself was unsure of why he was making this film (he admitted in the press conference that he only figured it out after).   This may seem problematic, but it many ways it seems to fit the film, especially the second half.   As we watch Che trudge through Bolivia, it is hard not to wonder why he is there, and what you soon realize is that it almost doesn’t matter why, what is important is that he is and that he isn’t going to stop.

At the end of the day I think Che is worth seeing, but go in not expecting to be moved, but to learn and to observe.   You may not be given tons of context or exposition for the story, but you will see a pretty extraordinary character study and an interesting meditation on how revolutions are won and lost - and those are things worth seeing.

takepart today to read up on Bolivia today and to see the complexity of the country.

Read on:

10 Thoughts About My 5 Hours With Che

I’ll Take Some Che For Breakfast (and Lunch)

I’m Gonna Explode With Angst, Hip Music and French New Wave Cool