Film Review: “Autobiography” Weighing Loyalty and Justice

The most dangerous element of a dictator is his charisma

Many demagogues, politicians, and media personalities climbed up the ranks coasting off their charisma. When they target people who are disenfranchised and vulnerable, it’s easy for a charming, relatable, and charismatic ruler to rally support. The power of a charismatic ruler on the rise is chillingly explored in the Indonesian thriller, Autobiography.

Autobiography follows Rakib (Kevin Ardilova), a housekeeper who ends up becoming the assistant of Purna (Arswendi Nasution), a retired general, as he runs for mayor in his rural Indonesian town. It’s easy to make some comparisons between Autobiography and the stellar Last King of Scotland, especially as Rakib serves the same audience surrogate role as James McAvoy in Scotland. However, while Last King of Scotland focused more on how racism and political naivete gets McAvoy under Forest Whitaker’s sway, Autobiography delved deeper into toxic masculinity. Director Makbul Mubarak focuses heavily on Rakib’s lack of a father-figure, and how Purna takes Rakib under his wing. The scenes where Purna plays chess with Rakib or teaches him have a shoot demonstrate their chemistry and shows how Rakib would feel appreciation and loyalty to Purna. When Purna garners support at rallies or defuses guys attacking his car, Rakib sees someone he can admire and learn from. The chemistry between the two is so strong, its easy to forget that Purna was a general, with a very dark history.

Once Pruna’s more violent, cold nature reveals itself, the tension builds like a fuse. The intensity is aided heavily Arswendi Nasution’s chilling performance as Purna, who shifts from friendly to cold effortlessly. He carries a strong, silent charisma, making it easy to see how Rakib could be attracted to him as a role model. Rakib is portrayed as strong and self-reliant, but also impressionable, and Ardilova’s layered performance breaks down Rakib’s growth, shock, and conflicted nature. Rakib’s inner conflict is empathetic and compelling, seeing him risk losing someone he looked up to for the sake of justice.

Autobiography is a tense character piece about how impressionable people can be under generals and dictators. Thanks to the strong performance of Arswendi Nasution and Makbul Mubarak’s methodical direction, Autobiography works as both a thriller and drama. It’s eery and powerful story and captivating performances making Autobiography chillingly relevant.