At camp, a 12-year-old boy is pulled into a cruel tradition targeting an outcast with an illness. As the lines between game and reality blur, he fears the joke may be hiding something real. A film by Charlie Polinger, starring Everett Blunck, Kayo Martin, Kenny Rasmussen, Lucas Adler, Caden Burris, Lennox Espy, Elliott Heffernan, Kolton Lee, and Joel Edgerton.

Written and directed by American filmmaker Charlie Polinger in his directorial debut, THE PLAGUEe is a psychological thriller about a boy who recently arrives at a water polo summer camp. Desperate to fit in with the popular crowd, he is willing to do whatever it takes to align himself with them, including bullying an outcast who has a mysterious skin disease rumored to be contagious by touch.

The entire young cast delivers believable, natural performances, particularly Kayo Martin. He exudes a sinister and unsettlingly calm charisma that makes his character “Jake” feel dangerously unpredictable every time he appears on screen

Everett Blunck has distinctive facial features and brings genuine vulnerability to his role as Ben. You can clearly see his character grow significantly over the short timeframe of the film. If anyone were to reboot The NeverEnding Story or make a sequel he would be a perfect Bastian Balthazar Bux.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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@pradt

Have you been exposed?
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A film by Charlie Polinger, starring Everett Blunck, Kayo Martin, Kenny Rasmussen, Lucas Adler, Caden Burris, Lennox Espy, Elliott Heffernan, Kolton Lee, and Joel Edgerton.

The film leans heavily on haunting visuals and an unnerving soundscape that elevate what might otherwise seem like ordinary scenes into something far more ominous.

I genuinely liked almost everything about this film except the final act, where Jake unexpectedly snaps after Ben accidentally scratches him in the pool and violently retaliates by trying to drown him. The scene feels like a rushed attempt to inject inexplicable violence and force a quick conclusion.

The buildup doesn’t quite justify the release, and the resolution arrives so abruptly that it somewhat undermines what came before. It is a surprising turn, but because it feels so unearned, it lands as underwhelming.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

THE PLAGUE premiered at Festival de Cannes in Un Certain Regard section on 16 May 2025. The film had a limited theatrical released in the United States on 24 December before expanding nationwide on 2 January 2026.