Is Che: Part One woke?
Movie · 2008
Che: Part One has a wokeness score of 8/10, which we rate as Strongly Ideological. Woke messaging is very prominent and often feels forced or shoehorned in. Characters and plot are primarily shaped to serve the ideology. Many viewers feel the agenda overshadows the entertainment.
Key points
- Sympathetic portrayal of Che Guevara and Castro as heroic anti-imperialist revolutionaries fighting U.S.-backed oppression.
- Explicit anti-American and Marxist themes through UN speech scenes denouncing imperialism and defending executions.
- Narrative prioritizes revolutionary ideology and class struggle over balanced history or entertainment, whitewashing Che's record.
Wokeness analysis
Che: Part One (2008), directed by Steven Soderbergh, presents a detailed, cinéma vérité-style account of Ernesto 'Che' Guevara's role in the Cuban Revolution from 1956 to 1959. While based on Che's own writings and focusing on guerrilla tactics, strategy, and the overthrow of the Batista regime, the film frames the narrative through a sympathetic lens toward Marxist revolutionary ideals. It portrays Che and Fidel Castro as principled fighters against a U.S.-backed dictatorship, emphasizing anti-imperialist themes, class struggle, and the moral righteousness of armed rebellion against perceived capitalist oppression. Flash-forwards to Che's 1964 UN speech explicitly denounce American imperialism and defend revolutionary executions. Conservative critiques, such as from Movieguide, describe it as a 'left-wing, anti-American primer on how to wage violent Communist revolution' that whitewashes Che's history and promotes pro-Communist ideology. The story prioritizes ideological commitment over balanced historical context, including omissions of Che's later roles in executions and labor camps. Though not overtly focused on modern identity politics, the heavy emphasis on revolutionary leftist messaging, anti-Western sentiment, and glorification of militant socialism makes the ideology prominent and shapes character and plot to serve it, often feeling message-driven rather than purely biographical entertainment.
Plot
In 1956, Argentine doctor Ernesto 'Che' Guevara joins Fidel Castro and a small group of Cuban exiles in Mexico. They sail to Cuba aboard the Granma to launch a guerrilla war against dictator Fulgencio Batista's regime. Despite harsh conditions, asthma, and heavy losses, the rebels build support among peasants in the Sierra Maestra mountains. Che evolves from medic to commander, leading key battles including the decisive victory at Santa Clara. Intercut with 1964 sequences, Che appears at the United Nations in New York, delivering speeches against U.S. imperialism. The film culminates in the rebels' triumph as Batista flees and the revolutionaries advance on Havana, establishing the new Cuban government.
Analyzed by AI on September 1, 2026