The Dark Horse (15)

four stars

Dir: James Napier Robertson

With: Cliff Curtis, James Rolleston

Runtime: 125 minutes

NEW Zealand's Cliff Curtis (The Piano, Sunshine) is on outstanding form in this biopic of a chess champion living with bipolar disorder. When we first meet Genesis "Gen" Potini he is in crisis and in need of a place to live. His brother reluctantly takes him in, and soon Gen has forged a bond with his nephew and other youths living a hard knock life. An unflinching, informed, and moving look at one man's struggle with mental illness.

While We're Young (15)

four stars

Dir: Noah Baumbach

With: Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts

Runtime: 97 minutes

JOSH and Cornelia (Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts) are a couple of hipsters raging against the onset of middle age in this whipsmart comedy from Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale). While the teases are somewhat obvious, terrific performances, especially from Adam Driver as the young buck Stiller's character befriends, will help to keep Baumbach's film forever young.

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The Duff (12A)

three stars

Dir: Ari Sandel

With: Mae Whitman, Robbie Amell

Runtime: 101 minutes

YET another high school comedy about mean girls and handsome jocks, but this one has enough edge and wit to make one warm to the genre all over again. Much of its charm comes from the two leads, Mae Whitman and Robbie Amell. Whitman plays Bianca, who is devastated to be told by neighbour Wesley (Amell) that she is the designated DUFF (designated ugly fat friend) to her glam pals and resolves to fight back. Spiky but sweet.

Blind (18)

four stars

Dir: Eskil Vogt

With: Ellen Dorrit Petersen, Vera Vitali

Runtime: 96 minutes

A HIT at the Glasgow Film Festival, Eskil Vogt's bitingly perceptive Norwegian drama focuses on the character of Ingrid (Ellen Dorrit Petersen), a teacher who has lost her sight. Still finding her way around even the simplest tasks, Ingrid has confined herself to her flat, where she likes to sit at the window and let her imagination fly. There are no limits to where her mind wanders as she fleshes out stories involving friends, neighbours and loved ones.

DCA, Dundee, April 3; Filmhouse Belmont, April 13; Filmhouse Edinburgh, April 17