Film

Chevolution (2008)

Movie review

From Short Review - NY

***** (Five stars)
In this cheeky documentary, filmmaker Trisha Ziff humorously shows how the image of Che Guevara has become as recognizable a worldwide brand as the Nike Swoosh or the McDonald's arches. She points out, for instance, the numerous items on which one might now find the revolutionary's bearded visage: T-shirts, bikinis, baby socks and, of course, thousands of posters pinned to teenagers' walls.

What makes this film more than just a detached joke is that Ziff also fills the viewer in on who Guevara really was and what he was fighting for. The context she provides around the famous source photo—it was taken during a moment of great sadness, after Guevara learns of a terrorist act that cost many Cuban dockworkers their lives—eloquently humanizes the man and his cause. No matter one's thoughts about the Marxist movement in Cuba, Ziff's doc reinstates Guevara as a historical figure, as opposed to a countercultural symbol. And if you happen to own anything with Che's image on it, this film is required viewing.—Brian Vrabel, account manager

[This is a TONY staff review, written for the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. It is not considered an official review and should not be read as such. Please think of it as a casual impression from a movie-loving friend.] 

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