The Plague

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Charlie Polinger directs. Steven Breckon behind the camera. Johan Lenox scores. Simon Njoo cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America, United Arab Emirates. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 1Released last year.
• 2International production across 2 countries: United States of America, United Arab Emirates.
• 3Directed by Charlie Polinger, shot by Steven Breckon. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 4Original score by Johan Lenox. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
• 5Editor Simon Njoo shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
• 6Everett Blunck and Kayo Martin and Joel Edgerton carry the top of the cast.
• 7IMDB entry: tt32792934 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
• 8Classified under 13 themes, including "summer camp", "bullying", "hazing", "water polo".

The technical file

Cinematography

Steven Breckon

Original score

Johan Lenox

Editing

Simon Njoo

Production design

Jason Singleton

Costume design

Luminita Lungu

Makeup / hair

Elena Tudor

VFX supervisor

Lucien Harriot

Sound

Damian Volpe

Stunt coordinator

Razvan Gheorghiu

Runtime

98 min · 1h 38m

Aspect ratio (typical)

1.37:1 (Academy)

Status

Released

Box office

$695,518

Original language

EN

Certification (US)

R

IMDB

The Plague (2025) ↗

Also by

Charlie Polinger

• 
  Fuck Me, Richard

  2023 · ★ 7.0
• 
  Sauna

  2018 · ★ 7.0
• 
  A Place to Stay

  2018 · ★ 4.5
• 
  Not Gay

  2013
• 
  Muckland

  2015

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

• 

  ▶
  Charlie Polinger & Kayo Martin Chat

  Featurette · Official
• 

  ▶
  A Conversation with Charlie Polinger, Steven Breckon, Johan Lenox and Lennox Espy

  Featurette · Official
• 

  ▶
  Tickets Now On Sale

  Teaser · Official
• 

  ▶
  Official Trailer

  Trailer · Official

Community reviews

What people are saying

• Brent Marchant2026-01-01
  ★ 8/10

  Bullying and calculated ostracism have been around seemingly forever, but, in recent years, such antisocial behavior has increasingly been receiving the disparaging attention it truly deserves. Interestingly, the latest voice added to that welcome chorus of criticism comes from a somewhat unlikely source, the excellent and insightful debut feature film from writer-director Charlie Polinger. Set in a summertime water polo camp for tweeners, the picture follows the exploits of a group of impressionable adolescents who learn valuable life lessons on the dangers of the aforementioned toxic behavior and attitudes. At the center of this psychological thriller is idealistic, socially awkward Ben (skillfully portrayed by rising talent and Critics Choice Award nominee Everett Blunck), who struggles to fit in but, because of his profound sense of compassion and consideration, is often out of step with his more rambunctious (and frequently unkind) peers. He’s confused by the scorn they inflict on others, most notably an unconventional nonconformist named Eli (Kenny Rasmussen), who’s frequently marginalized for his unique views and decisively singular outlook on life. Eli’s circumstances are made worse by the development of a severe skin rash that the bullies (led by alpha male Jake (Kayo Martin)) openly and cruelly refer to as “the plague,” a condition that leads to his orchestrated ostracism. Ben is confused by this persistent ridicule and makes an effort to get to know his victimized colleague. But, in getting close to Eli, Ben also develops the same skin rash, causing him to be subjected to the kind of derision and mocking thrust upon Eli. Ben desperately tries to understand this uncalled-for treatment, frequently consulting his coach (Joel Edgerton), but he’s often on his own to try and sort out this relentless disparagement. Life at what is supposed to be an enjoyable experience quickly becomes a living hell. What makes this story work so effectively is the filmmaker’s skillful handling of the material, treating it almost as if it were constructed like a smart horror film – in many ways more chilling than a picture that needs to resort to gratuitous gore and excessive sensationalism to generate viewer gasps and frights (in this case, particularly at times when it appears the plague might actually be real and not just the menacing psychological fabrication of a bunch of teenage boys). This approach is significantly enhanced by the picture’s atmospheric score and inventive cinematography, adding a scary undercurrent to an otherwise coming of age drama. Admittedly, there are times early on when the script could stand to be a little more sharply focused, but then that could also be chalked up to a reflection of the overwhelming confusion Ben experiences as he seeks to assimilate into this new, and sometimes-disturbing, environment. Some might also legitimately view this tale as somewhat clichéd at times, but the picture’s message truly can’t be overemphasized enough, especially for anyone who has ever been in on the receiving end of such reprehensible treatment. As this Cannes Film Festival and Independent Spirit Award nominee illustrates, there’s no place in this world for this kind of behavior – no matter what environment is involved – and the film drives home that point with clarity, purpose and a mission to prevent it from continuing to plague us all.

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• 

  Spooky Pictures

  US

• 

  The Space Program

  US

• 

  Image Nation Studios

  AE

• FI

  Five Henrys

  US

• DO

  Doublethink

  US

Key crew

• ProducerJoel Edgerton
• ProducerSteven Schneider
• Executive ProducerCory Finley
• ProducerLucy McKendrick
• ProducerLizzie Shapiro
• Executive ProducerCullen Conly
• CastingRebecca Dealy
• Set DecorationIulia Petrescu
• Costume DesignLuminita Lungu
• Third Assistant DirectorStefania Ispas
• Second Assistant DirectorDiana Molea
• Boom OperatorMatusa Ionut
• Boom OperatorRares Marinoiu
• ChoreographerCelia Rowlson-Hall
• Executive ProducerJames Presson
• EditorSimon Njoo
• Production DesignJason Singleton
• Executive ProducerRami Yasin
• ProducerRoy Lee
• ProducerDerek Dauchy
• Music SupervisorAlison Moses
• Executive ProducerBen Ross
• Executive ProducerGabi Antal
• Executive ProducerGus Deardoff

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

• summer camp
• bullying
• hazing
• water polo
• malicious
• cautionary
• independent film
• pathetic
• body horror
• psychological horror
• teenager
• teen horror
• callous

Release history · US

When it landed

• Premiere2025-10-07· Mill Valley Film Festival
• Premiere2025-09-21· Fantastic Fest
• Premiere2025-10-17· Philadelphia Film Festival / New Hampshire Film Festival / Orcas Island Film Festival / Woodstock Film Festival
• Premiere2025-10-19· Heartland International Film Festival
• Premiere2025-10-18· Montclair Film Festival / Chicago International Film Festival
• Premiere2025-10-24· AFI Fest
• Premiere2025-10-10· Hamptons International Film Festival
• Premiere2025-10-28· SCAD Savannah Film Festival
• Premiere2025-10-26· New Orleans Film Festival
• Premiere2025-11-01· Denver Film Festival

Also known as

International titles

• La PesteFR
• VebaTR
• La plagaES
• 瘟疫CN