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3

I watched the Dark Horse in my local arthouse cinema with my wife. They also serve some amazing food there. We had fish soup followed by a huge redfish fillet on a bed of spicy paella, finishing it off with fresh strawberries with vanilla ice cream and strawberry/vodka whipped cream. After dinner we strolled to screen three, taking our wine and beer with us.

And after the film was over we looked at each other and shared a thought. That dinner had a nasty aftertaste all of a sudden. Realizing you live a comfortable life can sometimes be a slap in the face. I welcome those 'two feet back on the ground' moments, especially when provided by something as beautiful…

7

To say that I loved this film, would be a complete and utter understatement. Sitting here the day after watching it, just thinking about it, brings back that heavy feeling of sadness back to my chest.

Where to even start...

Cliff Curtis, what an absolute legend. He is without a doubt, the most talented New Zealand actor that has existed and he totally out did himself with his performance as Genesis Potini, the man who gave some stability to the lives of some very troubled children. His performance was totally gut-wrenching, with that raw emotion that just completely over took me. IMO he definitely deserves a nod for an Oscar nom. Up and coming actor James Rolleston was also great…

2

The past few days have been a struggle. Lot's of personal issues and bad days at work and the usual depression have culminated in a bleak dark wall slowly pushing in on me that feels completely insurmountable. And of course I have the habit of watching pretty depressing shit when I am in a deep depression as a way to cope. So after almost two years, it was time to revisit The Dark Horse. When I first watched it, it blew me away. This time, it did the same.

Every lead in this brings their A game. Cliff Curtis has a career best performance, and while I won't say the same for James Rolleston as he's just so young and…

Review by c.w. scott ★★★½

given that this movie is about chess, the title of the movie probably should have been 'the dark knight', but we all know why it's not.

thanks for that, fuckstopher nolan.

Review by az93 ★★★½

A fairly conventional, but very well made and acted biopic. Best I've seen Cliff Curtis act. Sweet story.

Review by Chris Hormann ★★★★½ Liked

A revelatory, tour de force performance from Cliff Curtis as the titular Dark Horse, in a story told with raw emotional honesty. The NZ International Film Festival has started for another year and I'm so proud of this Kiwi film which I'm sure will hold its own amongst the heavyweight selections on the programme.

1

It's tough to not be swept up into The Dark Horse partly because from a technical perspective it's simple done right, there's nothing flashy about it yet it looks and feels exactly like it should. It also manages to be both heartwarming and terrifying as the dual nature of Maoridom is shown through the family.

Any concerns over the chess / sports movie stereotypes should be abandoned as the game is used marginally to illuminate aspects of Maori culture that when displayed this way, really connect with the game of chess and the more difficult aspects of culture. Cliff Curtis really brought it here absolutely knocking it out of the park, with a role-type that is very difficult to not…

Review by kathlyn ★★★★½

this was genuinely a really good movie, and not just a good NZ movie but in general.

Whole cast absolutely did so well, ESPECIALLY Cliff Curtis.

All the dialogue and character interactions felt very natural and unforced.

Editing good, cinematography pretty good and appropriate for the films purpose.

Honestly, very surprised at how good this is.

Review by Neeka B ★★★★

kind, comionate, difficult, magnificently acted, heart-rending, powerful, and just a little bit cliche.

Review by AntoniusBlock7 ★★★★ Liked

A touching film based on real-life chess player and teacher Genesis Potini, a true underdog in so many respects – suffering mental health issues, homeless, and a member of the minority Maori in New Zealand. In the film, he faces conflict from parents who distrust him, and more significantly, from his own brother, who wants his son initiated into the gang he belongs to instead of taking up chess.

The performances here are brilliant – Cliff Curtis as Genesis, Wayne Hapi as his brother, and James Rolleston as the son all have big moments and pull them off beautifully. There is such a natural feeling to everything we see, and while the film is uplifting, it’s not cloying. We see…

Review by Audrey_Rose ★★★★

did not realise it was a true story until the very end, in which I spontaneously burst into a fountain of tears.

Review by London ★★★★★ Liked

This film isn't really even about chess. I mean it is, but chess mostly serves as a backdrop for a very intense drama about family, mental health, and becoming something against all odds. Every character we are introduced to has struggled, probably their whole life, thinking they won't amount to anything. But chess gives them an oppurtunity to become something else. To defy expectations. It doesn't even matter if they win or lose against their more privileged opponents. It only matters that they are there, they are trying, and they won't stop until they succeed.
The performances in this film are utterly heartwrenching, as we see a man struggle with his own mind while trying to give children stability, something…