THE PLAGUE: A stunningly crafted, yet heartbreaking watch
Written by Steph Cannon 2.9.2026
The vast majority of our adolescent years are not a time period that’s looked back on fondly. Some, if fortunate enough, were able to escape the awkward, gawky, embarrassing years between childhood and adulthood and come out the other side unscathed. Unfortunately, for most, those tween years are reflected upon with wincing, cringe-worthy disconcertion.
In writer/director Charlie Polinger’s debut The Plague , complex matters of bullying, ostracization, and phobic aversion play out with heavily layered horror elements to create a stylistic nod to Lord of the Flies.
12-year-old Ben (Everett Blunck) arrives at an all-boys water polo camp with the odds immediately stacked against him. Not only does he join during the second half of the session, when peer groups have already been formed with a distinct pecking order, his quiet and sensitive nature make him an obvious and easy target for ridicule.
We get a quick sense of the hierarchy amongst this group with the introduction of alpha ringleader Jake (Kayo Martin). Like most bullies, he knows how to expertly tow the line between charismatic magnetism and dogmatic cruelty, which he initially directs towards Ben.
He’s clever enough to see through this, though, and finds a way to work this to his advantage, eventually becoming accepted by Jake and his cronies. Sadly, this is mostly due to the fact that there’s already a boy who suffers the brunt of their mockery - the overweight, awkward Eli (Kenny Rasmussen). While Ben displays his own sense of ungainliness, he at least knows how to work the system for survival’s sake. Eli seems to have resigned himself to the fact that he will never fit in, which leads to him isolating himself as much as possible from the other boys.
To make matters worse, Eli has an unsightly rash that covers much of his arms and torso. Jake and company explain to Ben that Eli has “The Plague”, a vague (and obviously made up) affliction that would be passed on to anyone who touches him. Though it’s easy to deduce that Eli simply suffers from some type of Eczema (after all, what kind of sanctioned, water-based camp would allow someone to join who has a contagious infection), there is just enough ambiguity to keep the viewer, and Ben, pondering the validity of these claims.
Though Eli definitely is a bit of an oddball (he’s into magic tricks and makes strange jokes), the sympathy for him can be felt strongly as the movie continues. The more that Ben gets to know him, the more he can see through the veiled accusations his new friends hurl Eli’s way every chance they get. Thus, a deep moral dilemma develops for Ben as he struggles to continue to fit in with the “cool kids”, or break away from the grips of peer pressure and outwardly become who he already is inside.
Through all of this, only one adult has any significant screentime - the oblivious head coach played by Joel Edgerton, who also serves as a producer. His presence is there just enough to make it believable, but also is effectively absent during most of the scenes. For anyone who has ever been made fun of, they understand this all too well. A tormentor isn’t going to always be loud and flagrant, they’re going to wait for the unsupervised moments to commit their acts.
The Plague is carried almost entirely on the shoulders of its young cast, all of whom are impressively talented.
Blunck, Martin, and Rasmussen all stand out in captivating ways as they play their vastly different roles. It’s Blunck, though, who is exceptionally superb. He delivers his lines with pointed, quiet efficiency, not afraid to stare at the camera dead on and wordlessly convey his feelings.
Steven Breckon’s cinematography also stands out with mesmerizing, languid underwater shots, tight close-ups, and sweeping overviews that help set the tone for the entire film. This isn’t inherently a horror film, but it feels that way both in style and camera work.
The Plague is both beautiful and heartbreakingly difficult to watch. These characters are painfully real, both with their positive and negative attributes. The final sequence in particular is emotionally impactful as we watch the moment someone lets go of who they’ve pretended to be and finally embraces who they truly are. This is a stunningly well crafted story for a debut feature, with all signs pointing towards a successful career for Polinger.
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