Intertribal Life Newspaper -

Koch Media

Ariki is in a motorcycle gang, and his son Mana (James Rolleston) is about to be initiated into the gang, and Ariki doesn't want Genesis messing things up. Genesis needs something positive to do, so he helps out-and basically takes over-a local youth chess club. He gets them excited about a chess tournament in the nearby big city, which feels like a world away for these small-town kids. Set almost entirely in a Maori community in New Zealand, The Dark Horse is the story of Genesis Potini (Cliff Curtis), a chess champion who struggles with mental illness and is in and out of the hospital most of his life.