Bobby Fischer Against the World

Via a series of interviews and scarce footage accrued over the various stages in his life, we're given a deep glimpse into the split genius and psychosis of former chess world champion Bobby Fischer. The ex-champ is a conflicted character - sometimes brightly personable, others brash, prickly and selfish - and he's living proof of the vast gulf between intellectual strategy and social posturing. His story is a sad one, but of his own making. Raised by an absentee mother with no tangible father figure, he found solace in the chess board and learned to distrust and loathe anyone in a morally superior position, a mentality that only grew wilder and more dangerous over time. Looking back over the course of this documentary, it's easy to see the warning signs for his inevitable collapse, but equally easy to see why it took so many by surprise. Though not entirely unbiased, it's an enlightening look at a figure as perplexing and confounding as the infamous Howard Hughes.