After suffering a nervous breakdown, Maori speed-chess champion Genesis Potini (Cliff Curtis) volunteers to teach a group of disadvantaged children how to play the game while seeking redemption and a new purpose in life.
A serious, even solemn, tale of personal redemption.
Adelaide Review
August 10, 2016
A hugely chunked-up Curtis, a Kiwi actor who's worked all over the world but returned home to star in and help produce Robertson's film, is masterly here.
... The Dark Horse understands that it requires more than simple narrative tricks and interesting factoids to make its "true story" stand out as a great film.
Curtis' portrayal of Gen's ever-present, invasive mental illness isn't mere window dressing and lacks showboating. The camera hugs his meltdowns with an uncomfortable perseverance as he talks to himself, hallucinates and turns manic.
