Autobiography

Makbul Mubarak's 2022 Indonesian film is about a young man working in an empty mansion. Rakib keeps the house; his family has served it for generations and his father is in prison. When the owner, a retired general named Purna, returns to run for mayor, Rakib attaches himself to him as though he has found a father. After one of the campaign posters is defaced he finds the culprit and reports it to Purna, and from there a chain of violence follows. The film describes how authority works through a personal relationship: no order is given, only expectations are set, and the young man does the rest himself. The continuing presence of a military past in Indonesia stands in the background. The tone is cold and the pace slow. It won a prize in a sidebar at Venice. Who it's for: viewers who like political thrillers and Southeast Asian cinema. Who it's not for: anyone expecting conflict stated openly; the film proceeds by implication.