review film autobiography

‘Autobiography’ Review: Sleek, Sinuous Thriller Delves Into Indonesia’s Heart of Darkness

Makbul Mubarak's engrossing, expertly made debut explores one young man's loss of innocence in a society robbed of innocence by the military dictatorship decades ago.

By Jessica Kiang

Jessica Kiang

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The spider returns. General Purna (Arswendy Bening Swara), recently a towering figure in the military dictatorship, has retired and is coming home to run for Mayor of the region. Rakib, whose family has been in service to the general’s for four generations, is expected to chauffeur him around, wait on him, be an obedient, dog-like companion. At first Purna is offhand with Rakib, impatient. Soon, though, the young man starts to look on the general as a kind of father figure, perhaps for all the ways, in power and influence, he is different from his actual father, who is incarcerated with no apparent hope of release, and for whom Rakib has nothing but disdain. “You look like me when I was your age,” says the general with the approving air of one whose walls are hung with portraits of himself. Rakib starts wearing the military jacket the general provides.

Although the film features crowd scenes and a full cast of supporting characters, it is essentially a two-hander, and both Swara (recently seen in Kamila Andini’s “Before, Now and Then”) and Ardilova (who played in Andini’s “Yuni” as well as Edwin’s Locarno-winning “Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash”) are remarkably persuasive. Swara’s narrow-eyed Purna, essentially a lean, vain, Indonesian Col. Kurtz, can turn on a dime from malicious and very probably mad, to genial and fatherly. And by the end when all those qualities exist simultaneously, his is a deeply disturbing portrait of absolute power’s ability to corrupt absolutely. Ardilova is equally strong, in a role that requires him to age psychologically without aging physically; in the few months the films traces he goes from surly youngster to cocky sidekick to disillusioned, soul-sick penitent, who knows he’s ventured too far into the mire to ever be able to get out clean. 

It’s a moral murkiness that DP Wojciech Staron interprets visually, in layered images that, especially in interiors, are usually partially impeded in some way. The camera peers at the characters through grilles or furnishings or windows that cast diffuse reflections across the frame. At times this technique becomes a little overbearing especially later, when Rakib’s inner turmoil and the sense of walls-closing-in claustrophobia are better demonstrated by counterpoint, as in a scene of revelry occurring — in line with the immutable laws of recent Southeast Asian arthouse cinema — in a karaoke parlor. Such moments offset Mubarak’s directorial restraint, which, while commendable, can occasionally mute the drama down to a barely audible murmur, where a howl, or a tuneless forced duet on a schmaltzy local pop hit, would be more fitting. 

But in large part, “Autobiography” is an auspicious, atmospheric first feature that knows how to co-opt generic conventions and a richly cinematic style, in order to illuminate some of the the darkest recesses of Indonesia’s recent history. Without laboring the allegory overmuch, Mubarak, working from his own nicely pared-back screenplay, builds up a convincing if despairing vision of the legacy of atrocity, in which the children of the Indonesian dictatorship era can only fully reckon with their nation’s violent past by taking on some of its attributes themselves, at significant cost to their souls. As such, the chess games that Purna, the representative of the venal old guard, plays with Rakib, standing in for the new generation, are an imperfect metaphor, considering the desperately unfair terms of engagement that Indonesia’s youth have inherited. But then, is there a game where one side wrote the rules, owns the board and controls all the pieces, while the other can only field one trembling pawn?

Reviewed at Venice Film Festival (Horizons), Sept. 10, 2022. Also in Toronto Film Festival. Running time: 115 MIN. 

• Production: (Indonesia-France-Singapore-Poland-The Philippines-Germany-Qatar) A Kawankawan production, in co-production with In Vivo Films, Protocol, Staron Film, Cinematografica, Niko Film, Focused Equipment, Partisipasi Indonesia. (World sales: Alpha Violet, Paris.) Producer: Yulia Evina Bhara. Co-producers: Louise Bellicaud, Claire Charles-Gervais, Jeremy Chua, Malgorzata Staroń Armi Rae Cacanindin, Nicole Gerhards, Amerta Kusuma, Robin Moran, Pinkan Veronique, Arya Sweta, Ganesya.
• Crew: Director, writer: Makbul Mubarak. Camera: Wojciech Staroń. Editor: Carlo Francisco Manatad. Music: Bani Haykal.
• With: Kevin Ardilova, Arswendy Bening Swara, Yusuf Mahardika, Lukman Sardi, Yudi Ahmad Tajudin Rukman Rosadi, Haru Sandra. (Indonesian dialogue)

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Review Film Autobiography (2023)

Autobiography

• Arswendy Bening Swara
• Kevin Ardilova
• Rukman Rosadi
• Yusuf Mahardika
• Makbul Mubarak
• 19 January 2023

*Spoiler Alert:  Review film  Autobiography mengandung bocoran yang bisa saja mengganggu kamu yang belum menonton.

Penggemar film-film kelas festival pastinya enggak asing dengan salah satu festival film bergengsi di dunia, yaitu Venice Film Festival. Indonesia mendapatkan kesempatan untuk memeriahkan Venice Film Festival 2022 dengan penayangan film Indonesia yang berjudul Autobiography . Hebatnya lagi, Autobiography mendapatkan standing ovation selama 4 menit pada penayangannya di Venice Film Festival 2022.

Autobiography merupakan film debut Makbul Mubarak sebagai sutradara film panjang. Sebelumnya, Makbul lebih aktif dalam menggarap film pendek. Selain menyutradarai, Makbul juga berperan sebagai penulis naskah. Film ini dibintangi oleh deretan aktor ternama, di antaranya Kevin Ardilova, Arswendy Beningswara, Rukman Rosadi, dan aktor Indonesia lainnya.

Autobiography berkisah tentang Rakib yang bekerja sebagai penjaga rumah kosong milik seorang jenderal bernama Purnawinata. Pada suatu hari, Purna kembali mengunjungi rumah tersebut untuk melakukan kampanye sebagai calon bupati di kampungnya. Rakib pun menemani Purna selama kegiatan kampanye dan menemukan hal yang tidak terduga tentang majikannya.

Review film Autobiography

Sentil isu penyalahgunaan kekuasaan yang dekat dengan realitas.

Dari awal hingga akhir film, Autobiography mengajak penonton hanya fokus pada pembangunan hubungan antara dua karakter utama di film ini, yaitu Rakib dan Purna. Purna diceritakan sebagai seseorang berpangkat jenderal yang tentunya punya kekuasaan dan disegani oleh orang di sekitarnya. Di sisi lain, Rakib adalah pembantunya Purna yang tentunya harus patuh kepada majikannya.

Dimulai dari hubungan antara pembantu dan majikan, yang masih terasa canggung bagi Rakib. Kecanggungan di antara keduanya semakin berkurang ketika Purna mulai mengenalkan gaya kehidupan penguasa kepada Rakib. Rasa kagum kepada Purna mulai timbul dari diri Rakib, bahkan Rakib mulai berlagak seperti orang penting di sekitar temannya, semenjak dia mendapatkan kepercayaan dari Purna.

Keseluruhan film ini secara garis besar menceritakan bagaimana kekuasaan bisa disalahgunakan dan membuat seseorang bersikap semena-mena, yang diwujudkan lewat karakter Purna. Dengan status jenderalnya, Purna dapat membuat orang di sekitarnya menjadi tidak berdaya, bahkan hanya dengan kata-kata yang halus tetapi tajam.

Kamu yang sudah menonton Autobiography pastinya setuju bahwa isu yang diangkat film ini sebenarnya sangat relate pada realitas kita. Enggak jarang, ‘kan, kita melihat bagaimana seseorang bertingkah seenaknya karena punya jabatan atau karena punya koneksi dengan orang lain yang punya jabatan. Ditambah lagi, konflik yang diangkat film ini juga pernah terjadi pada kehidupan bermasyarakat di kehidupan nyata.

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Intensitas yang terus terbangun lewat pace film yang lambat

Perlu diketahui, Autobiography merupakan film yang pace penceritaannya memang lambat. Namun seiring berjalannya film, intensitas ketegangan yang dibangun terus meningkat secara perlahan-lahan. Nah, intensitas yang terus dibangun hingga akhir film ini pada akhirnya membuat penonton jadi terus mengikuti ceritanya dan mungkin tidak akan masalah dengan pace -nya yang lambat.

Penceritaan dengan pace yang lambat sebenarnya adalah treatment yang tepat untuk Autobiography karena film ini memang fokus dalam pembangunan hubungan antara Rakib dan Purna. Dari orang yang saling tidak kenal, menjadi saling mempercayai, hingga hilangnya kepercayaan yang menimbulkan rasa takut bagi Rakib kepada Purna.

Intensitas filmnya mulai terbangun sejak Purna pertama kali muncul di layar. Sejak awal kemunculannya, penonton langsung dibuat merasa enggak nyaman dengan sosok Purna ketika dia mengatakan kalimat yang cukup sederhana, “Siapa bilang saya minum kopi?” Seiring berjalannya film, semakin banyak sisi-sisi gelapnya Purna yang terungkap yang membangun rasa ngeri dari film ini.

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Kolaborasi Kevin Ardilova dan Arswendy Beningswara yang juara!

Autobiography memang menampilkan banyak aktor Indonesia kenamaan di dalam filmnya. Namun, film ini jelas memberikan sorotan besar kepada kolaborasi Kevin Ardilova dan Arswendy Beningswara yang menjadi pemeran utamanya. Sebagian besar film ini lebih banyak menampilkan akting dari kedua aktor tersebut.

Kevin, yang berperan sebagai Rakib, tampil begitu sempurna dan berhasil membuat penonton merasa bersimpati dengan karakternya. Kevin mampu menyampaikan ketakutan yang dialami Rakib kepada penonton. Sang aktor bahkan tampil cukup berani dengan melakoni adegan yang mana dia dimandikan oleh karakternya Arswendy. Kevin pun enggak menampik bahwa adegan tersebut sangat menakutkan baginya .

Selain Kevin, bersiaplah dibuat lebih tercengang dengan menyaksikan penampilan Arswendy sebagai Purna. Lewat akting apiknya, Arswendy berhasil membuat Purna menjadi karakter yang begitu menakutkan tanpa terlihat berusaha keras. Sejujurnya selama menonton film ini, saya benar-benar dibuat geregetan dengan Purna.

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Gelap, tidak berdaya, dan meresahkan bisa dibilang merupakan kata-kata yang tepat untuk menggambarkan Autobiography . KIsah tentang si pejabat yang menyalahgunakan kekuasaannya dan si asisten rumah tangga yang tidak berdaya berhasil menjadi sebuah kritik yang relate bagi kondisi masyarakat di kehidupan nyata. Ditambah lagi dengan aktingnya Arswendy Beningswara yang terlihat begitu effortless membuat Purna menjadi sosok yang meresahkan.

Setelah baca  review film   Autobiography , apakah kamu jadi tertarik menonton film drama ini? Buat yang sudah menonton, jangan lupa bagikan pendapat kamu tentang film ini, ya!

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Amy winehouse’s mentor mark ronson “cut from star’s biopic after actor filmed scenes”, venice review: makbul mubarak’s ‘autobiography’.

By Damon Wise

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Forget the overly poetic title, Makbul Mubarak’s terrific Indonesian thriller Autobiography — which premieres in the Venice Film Festival’s Horizons section — is a genuine discovery here, a taut and elegantly staged two-hander that transcends regional politics to make a profound comment on the state of the world today.

American arthouse audiences should be especially receptive to its riveting portrayal of a charismatic candidate running for mayoral office whose populist image masks a very fragile ego and a desire to maintain absolute power at any cost.

The story unfolds from the viewpoint of Rakib (Kevin Ardilova), the young caretaker of an empty mansion owned by Purna (Arswendy Bening Swara), a retired general. Rakib’s family has been in service to Purna’s ancestors for generations, but, with his father in prison and his brother abroad, he’s the last of his clan to be forced into subservience.

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When Purna suddenly returns to take part in the local elections, Rakib is, at first, a little put out to have his peace disturbed, not to mention intimidated by the older man, a greying, whippet-like authoritarian figure. But when Purna starts showing him attention — and even a bit of fatherly affection — he warms to him: after all, Purna is a big personality, and his pithy, urbane wisdom is deeply impressive to a country boy.

This, of course, is how authoritarianism casts its spell on the working man, and as Purna’s driver and confidante, Rakib is easily flattered, given special privileges and little favors here and there. Naturally, then, Rakib shares his boss’ concern when someone vandalizes Purna’s campaign. The culprit is a young man whose family’s livelihood is on the line — as a candidate, Purna supports a land grab that will put local farmers out of business — so Rakib pays him a visit. Inspired by Purna’s tactful defusing of a heated incident earlier, Rakib thinks that an apology will suffice and takes him home to make amends. Instead, Purna dishes out a vicious beating, leaving the young man for dead.

This sudden escalation is masterfully handled, leaving Rakib shell-shocked and terrified, a reaction made horribly plausible thanks to Swara’s note-perfect performance. And from here, Autobiography becomes something of a monster movie, as Rakib tries to walk back his allegiance while at the same time knowing what kind of a man Purna really is: a vain, morally and literally corrupt psychopath. The fatherly advances, the looks and touches — in one excruciating scene, Purna walks in on Rakib in the shower — suddenly take on a whole new dimension, while at the same time a moral dilemma presents itself: how do you slay the monster without becoming the monster yourself?

Unusually for a film of its kind, the payoff is as good as its setup, and Mubarak’s rich, impressive film leaves a very strong aftertaste. Power corrupts, but Autobiography is a welcome reminder that this is a lesson that no one — no one — will never really learn.

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Autobiography Reviews

...asks some mighty questions about the need to recognize the capacity to do bad in ourselves before we can, hopefully, move forward, be better. Does a repressed society need to tap into their own dark side in order to exorcise the demons of the past?

Full Review | Original Score: B- | Dec 1, 2023

A taut and elegantly staged two-hander that transcends regional politics to make a profound comment on the state of the world today.

Full Review | Sep 19, 2023

“Autobiography” is a great debut for Mubarak, equally artful, well-shot, and contextually rich, and one of the best films we have seen this year so far.

Full Review | Original Score: 8 | Jan 3, 2023

As the title suggests, this is a portrait of not just a man but a nation. . . . Yet this allegory is nuanced.

Full Review | Nov 17, 2022

A beautifully paced drama about power dynamics within an abusive relationship.

Full Review | Oct 16, 2022

Proximity to power threatens to taint the soul in the debut feature of critic-turned-filmmaker Makbul Mubarak, a taut, brooding thriller based around the dynamics between a naive young housekeeper and a retired general.

Full Review | Oct 5, 2022

An auspicious, atmospheric first feature that knows how to co-opt generic conventions and a richly cinematic style, in order to illuminate some of the the darkest recesses of Indonesia’s recent history.

Full Review | Sep 30, 2022

There’s a pervasive darkness that slowly creeps into every frame of Autobiography and Mubarak capitalizes on that to staggering effect.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Sep 20, 2022

Writer/director Makbul Mubarak titles his portrayal of these two men Autobiography not because their story mimics his own, but because he's wielding the film as a metaphor for the autobiography of his homeland.

Full Review | Original Score: B | Sep 20, 2022

Rarely do debut features feel as confident as Makbul Mubarak’s Autobigraphy, an electrifying, bold and heartbreaking film that sends an urgent message about Indonesia’s decaying political landscape.

Full Review | Original Score: A- | Sep 10, 2022

[Autobiography is merely] the tottered unfurling of reductionism and presumed dramaturgical virtuousness.

Full Review | Sep 8, 2022

VENICE 2022 Orizzonti

Review: Autobiography

by  David Katz

04/09/2022 - VENICE 2022: Echoes of Indonesia’s 31-year dictatorship abound in the present, in debutant Makbul Mubarak’s sombre political drama

It would be beneficial to know some biographical facts about this film’s director, Makbul Mubarak , before delving properly into Autobiography   [ + see also: trailer film profile ] , his debut feature, which has been given a plum spot in Venice ’s Orizzonti section, before heading across the Atlantic to Toronto later this month. Whilst it’s important not to over-emphasise real-life parallels or influences, what’s actually most pertinent here is the fact that the film’s story is only indirectly inspired by his family history: he grew up as the son of prominent civil servants, engaged in propping up the rule of the country’s former dictator Suharto. Autobiography aptly muses on the notions of loyalty and proximity to power, but renders them on a completely different social stratum, and also in a different historical era – the present day.

So, in this age of autofiction and the fashionability of personal memoirs, Mubarak beckons us to see the concept of “autobiography” in a more abstract sense. This is a tense, downbeat quasi-thriller, obsessed with atmospherically grimy bilateral compositions filmed through reflective surfaces, such as fungus-caked plexiglass windows. It feels like a dream that Indonesia, haunted by its past, is having about itself – a “national” autobiography – with its erstwhile fascist political structure eerily reflected in its central power dynamic between a regional mayor, General Purna ( Arswendy Bening Swara ), and his young enforcer.

Rakib, or Kib for short ( Kevin Ardilova ), this housekeeper-turned-confidant of the mayor, is the latest in his family’s long line to serve as house help at Purna’s estate (how interesting the idea of parallel dynasties is: of powerbrokers and the descendants of the “help” who nurse them and clean up their waste). Kib’s father is in jail, so Purna offers himself up as a surrogate father figure, and initially at least, Kib is totally up for it. His options at this stage of his young life are either to join his older brother as a building-site labourer in nearby Singapore, where he’ll be trafficked over the border by a local gangster, or to leave the General’s estate behind and join his security detail.

With a tone not far from Full Metal Jacket , Mubarak is showing how young, impressionable men can find solace and belonging not so much in fascist ideology, but more in suppressing their humanity to become robotically loyal soldiers for a cause – “born to kill”, to quote the aforementioned Kubrick film. Kib seems frighteningly empowered when he is forced to arrest a protester railing against the municipality’s planned hydroelectric plants, the impacts of which would harm the agrarian livelihoods of the area’s inhabitants. But the bleak fallout from this finds Kib being almost anti-redpilled, finally glimpsing some morality from being so close to power’s bleak source.

The presiding issue with Mubarak’s film is unfortunately its generic nature: it’s novel and exciting to see a major independent Indonesian film attempt to reckon with the country’s past, from a young and talented director at that, but still, this plot conceit is just too generic and familiar, and arguably could take place in any region. And it’s not surprising to read that it began life as a short film; the story sketched above struggles to sustain tension across its two-hour running time and feels devoid of a few more gradients in its plot arc. To circle back to the beginning, the imaginative empathy he attempts to create by placing himself in a very different person’s shoes can only go so far.

Autobiography is a co-production between Indonesia, France, Singapore, Poland, the Philippines, Germany and Qatar, staged by KawanKawan Media, In Vivo Films , Potocol, Staron Film , Cinematografica Philippines, NiKo Film , FOCUSED equipment and Partisipasi Indonesia. Its world sales are courtesy of Alpha Violet .

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• Family Portrait: Japanese Family in Flux
• Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2024

Autobiography

A layered and atmospheric drama that lures you in…

Premiering at the Venice Film Festival in 2022, Autobiography is the debut feature from Writer/Director Makbul Mubarak that has since garnered many awards, nominations and interest. A parable about violence within the governmental system, the narrative tells the story of Rakib (Kevin Ardilova) who, through a generational familial connection, is the housekeeper for General Purnawinatal  (Arswendy Bening Swara) who returns to start his electoral campaign for regent of the region. A single act of vandalism that Rakib investigates on his behalf has violent consequences that shake his worldview and how he wants to live.

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The General has a paternal attitude to Rakib whose own father is in jail and whose family seems scattered. Inspiring loyalty and humanising the General in conversations with his family, teaching Rakib how to shoot and how to calm locals with simple apologies. His gentle admonishments and benevolence however is a thin veneer, so easily shattered when some of his campaign banners are vandalised and torn up. His fatherly actions become uncomfortable and a way of exerting control. Rakib’s quiet nature comes from a lack of confidence and inexperience of the world, his initial attempts to break free never quite make the cut.

Director of Photography Wojciech Staron takes full advantage of the land and atmosphere of the filming location in Bojonegoro, East Java with well-timed lighting and composition. This, along with the minimal score from Bani Haykal, gives a real feel of the humidity and oppression of the climate to reflect the unfolding events. The production design of the interiors consistently echoes the idea that a game of chess is being played between the old guard and methods of governance and the new generation that wants change. We even see the two main protagonists play chess or listen to a game in English – the experienced political hand of the General against that of the naive Rakib. It might seem a little on the nose, but it works well, getting to you to try and anticipate the next move in the “game”.

You don’t need to know the full history of the genocides that have happened in the past, or the complex events that made Indonesia the place it is today. You understand through this film how the old regime maintained its power and how the wearing of a uniform gives power, designates it in interactions and changes attitudes. Rakib changes through the film on an emotional level, while the sham layers of the General’s form of democracy are revealed, both excellent performances from the veteran actor Swara and Adilova.

Released on Amazon Prime in the Asia region in April, I suspect this is where it will be found in most regions once the festival circuit is done. It’s one I am keen to rewatch, its atmosphere and direction will still be lingering in my mind long after the festival is over.

Autobiography screens as part of the New Zealand International Film Festival 2023 . See the official site for more details.

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Movie Reviews

Kenneth branagh's autobiographical 'belfast' never quite finds its point of view.

Justin Chang

The family (Caitríona Balfe, Jamie Dornan, Judi Dench, Jude Hill and Lewis McAskie) goes to the movies in Belfast . Rob Youngson /Focus Features hide caption

The family (Caitríona Balfe, Jamie Dornan, Judi Dench, Jude Hill and Lewis McAskie) goes to the movies in Belfast .

It was Federico Fellini who once said that "All art is autobiographical; the pearl is the oyster's autobiography." He knew of what he spoke, given his fondness for self-portraiture in films like 8 1/2 and especially Amarcord , his 1973 classic about his own childhood. Cinema history is full of such great memory pieces, like François Truffaut's The 400 Blows, John Boorman's Hope and Glory and Terence Davies' The Long Day Closes , all made by directors looking back with aching tenderness at their early years.

Kenneth Branagh's Belfast has already courted such comparisons since its warm reception at festivals earlier this fall. You can see why: This is a rare dive into personal territory from a filmmaker known for directing and often starring in adaptations of Shakespeare and Agatha Christie . And Branagh's working-class childhood was certainly more dramatic than most: He was just a young boy when the Troubles began in Northern Ireland and his home city of Belfast was plunged into sectarian violence.

Jude Hill is Branagh's younger stand-in, Buddy, who's playing outside when fighting breaks out in the street and Molotov cocktails start flying. Branagh stages this sequence with explosive intensity, but for most of Belfast , the Troubles hover in the background, a source of anxiety as well as confusion.

Buddy doesn't understand why he and his Protestant family are suddenly supposed to hate their Catholic neighbors, and his decent, tolerant-minded parents don't get it, either. Caitríona Balfe plays his mother, who's done most of the work raising Buddy and his older brother. Jamie Dornan is Buddy's frequently absent father, who works in England as a skilled laborer.

During one of his father's trips back home, Buddy eavesdrops as his parents argue about their finances and future. His pa wants them all to leave Belfast and its Troubles behind, but his ma can't imagine living anywhere else. (It doesn't spoil anything to note that Branagh and his family did end up moving to England.)

Belfast is a fond farewell to Branagh's childhood. He wants to capture something of the city's scrappy, resilient spirit, mainly by cramming the soundtrack with classic songs plus one original tune by the Belfast legend Van Morrison . There's a nice balance of sweet and tart in Buddy's relationships with his ailing grandfather and sharp-tongued grandmother, nicely played by Ciarán Hinds and Judi Dench. There's also a cute subplot involving Buddy's crush on a classmate and his efforts to improve his grades and get her attention.

Although Branagh shot the movie in black and white, he sometimes lets a little color burst into the frame — like when Buddy and his family go to the pictures and watch late '60s hits like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang . In showing us these brightly colored images, Branagh foreshadows his own career as a filmmaker and pays tribute to the magic of the movies. These are lovely moments, but they also made me wish that Belfast itself were a more moving, transporting experience. I'm still trying to figure out why a story that's clearly so personal to its maker somehow wound up feeling so muted in the telling.

It may have something to do with the pandemic, which made it difficult for the crew to shoot in the real Belfast, forcing them to build a 1960s street set on an airport runway. You can feel the lack of grit and texture in the production design, and also in the overly polished sheen of the images. But the problems with Belfast aren't just technical. There's an emotional restraint to this movie that should be admirable in theory: Branagh at least doesn't try to jerk sentimental tears. If anything, he's too guarded, as if he were reluctant to probe the past too deeply.

There's also something a little studied about the way Branagh relies on older movies to tell his family's story. At one point, he uses images from the classic western High Noon to underscore the struggle of Buddy's father when a menacing Protestant gang leader tries to recruit him for battle. It's a clever but secondhand reference in a movie that never quite finds its own point of view. All art may be autobiographical, but Belfast is a reminder that not all autobiography is necessarily art.