(Singapore) - I expected a bike flick. This was, after all, the opening night of the BikeFilmFest, touted as the “anchor” satelite event of the Bike Asia 2008 exhibition later this week. But, alas, it was not to be.

It sounded grand: 2100 hrs at The Cathay, BikeFilmFest 08. But the only clues I was even at the right place were 4 classic motorcycles displayed in a 3 by 3-metre space (accompanied by 2 standing posters ominously keeping watch, evidently lest the ancients wandered off) at the ground floor of The Cathay — the grand old dame of Singapore cinema.

And that was it.

Why, were you expecting more? Honestly, so was I. 4 classic bikes and 2 standees. Beautiful as the oldies were, they hardly contrived to “create a massive buzz”. I couldn’t even find any information — either on the ground floor or the cinema lobby — on the BikeFilmFest at The Cathay. No list of BikeFilmFest movie timings and details; no promotional posters; and, in fact, no mention at all that there was even an event going on! Did I hear ‘cocktail reception’? Don’t even think about it.

So, armed with a couple of (complimentary) tickets, I approached the friendly staff tasked with tearing the movie stubs.

“Is there a Bike Film Fest or something going on?” I asked.

She looks at my tickets, and nods.

“What show is it?” I continued, half wondering if I should just get the hell out of there.

No reply, as she looks down at a piece of paper and mumbles something.

“Ok, nevermind. Is it any good?”

“Erm, from feedback we’ve received, it’s quite good.” she chirped. Ah, finally, staff training comes in handy.

That’s the second time I’ve heard cinema staff use that line. And my experience in PR tells me it’s a whole lot of bull. Nobody ever bothers to “feedback”. The first thing I do after a movie is rush off to the bathroom, then outside for a smoke, not go to the counter staff and tell them how much I enjoyed the movie.

What the heck, let’s give it a go. How bad could a bike flick get?

“The Motorcycle Diaries”, the sign at the entrance read. Cool, I thought, as images of an epic journey on 2 wheels roared into my head. And it started off just as I expected.

23-year-old Ernesto Guevara de la Serna puts medical school on hold to join his 29-year-old friend, Alberto Granado, on a life-defining trip across South America on a 1939 Norton 500 that has seen better days. Dubbed La Poderosa, or “The Mighty One”, the Norton looked like a wreck from the start. And after a series of crashes, it finally gave — with two-thirds of the movie left to go! And that was the end of motorcycles in this movie. So much for a bike flick.

But still, it was a journey. The initial promise of ‘freedom’ on 2 wheels is something a biker can relate to - and, indeed, relishes. Forget med school and the resulting ‘bright future’, Ernesto thought. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. For one stuck in a competitive, commercialistion-centred country like Singapore, I had a lot of respect for Ernesto’s decision. After all, I believe, there is more to life than the relentless pursuit of money and ’success’.

The true “epic journey” in this film was not on a motorcycle. The highlight is a scene of Ernesto swimming across the river that separates the two societies of the leper colony, to spend the night in a leper shack, instead of in the cabins of the doctors. This journey implicitly symbolizes Ernesto’s rejection of wealth and aristocracy into which he was born, and the path he would take later in his life as a guerrilla, fighting for what he believed was the dignity every human being deserves.

The kicker comes at the end, where it is revealed that Ernesto went on to join a revolution, and was to be immortalised as a legendary leader, known henceforth as “Che” Guevara. That instant saved the day.

As an event, the BikeFilmFest was not bad. It was just non-existent. As a biker film,’The Motorcycle Diaries’ was painful to watch. Don’t get me wrong. The movie deserves its 2 thumbs up. If for nothing else, it breathed life into the face on a million t-shirts in Bangkok.

This 2004 production is a masterpiece as far as socio-political films go. But at a film festival for bikes, it was awkwardly out of place. “The Mighty One” spent more time being pushed than being ridden, and at the end of the day, it was good riddance when it was finally laid to rest. You can’t help but wonder if BikeFilmFest organisers are leaking as much oil as La Poderosa and threw this movie into the cauldron just because there was the word “motorcycle” in the title.

‘The Motorcycle Diaries’ is a great movie. But watching it at BikeFilmFest 08, I couldn’t help but leave more than a little disappointed.

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