The Latin American revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara remains an enduring leftist icon throughout the world, including in Japan. Here, however, his visage pops up in somewhat apolitical moments — like at soccer games in support of the Urawa Reds.
A new film about Che (real name: Ernesto Rafael Guevara de la Serna) that opens in Japan tomorrow and aims to show the deeper relationship he had with this country. "Ernesto" follows the brief friendship that blossomed between one of the most charismatic leaders of the 20th century and a second-generation Japanese-Bolivian named Freddy Maemura Hurtado. Che was so taken with Hurtado's personality and medical skills (Che himself was a doctor), that he granted him full use of his first name, Ernesto. It's a slice of political history that few Japanese are aware of — that and the fact that Che once visited this country for 12 days, in 1959.
"Ernesto" is the creation of Junji Sakamoto, who has been referred to by Japanese media as "the rebel from Osaka" because he's rumored to have ticked off more than a few higher-ups in the industry during the course of his 28-year career. He's also known as being one of the few successful filmmakers — aside from Takeshi Kitano — who is not dependent on the country's rigid studio system. "Ernesto" is Sakamoto's first international collaboration, in this case with Cuba.