The Plague

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The Plague

R

2025

1h 38m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

97%

Tomatometer

123 Reviews

66%

Popcornmeter

50+ Verified Ratings

In the summer of 2003, at an all-boys summer water polo camp, socially anxious twelve-year-old Ben struggles to fit in amidst a ruthless social hierarchy. When he befriends Eli -- a lonely, acne-ridden outcast shunned by the others for allegedly carrying a contagious "plague" -- Ben becomes entangled in a cruel, escalating ritual of scapegoating and fear. As the lines between teasing and real harm blur, Ben is forced to confront his own complicity and the terrifying cost of belonging. A tense, darkly humorous coming-of-age story about masculinity, peer pressure, and the horrors that fester when cruelty masquerades as a game.

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Critics Consensus

Steeped in disquieting mood without ever treading water, The Plague takes common adolescent anxieties and elevates them into an unforgettable chiller.

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Phil Hoad

Guardian

Apr 21, 2026

4/5

The three young performers stand out in their unfiltered rawness: Blunck clammily eager to please and increasingly disturbed; Martin intimidating despite his tiny stature; Rasmussen stretching a cartoon geek role into genuinely unsettling outsiderdom.

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Sandra Hall

Sydney Morning Herald

Mar 11, 2026

4/5

It’s a very clever screenplay with unsettling shafts of black humour and perfect pacing.

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Kyle Logan

Chicago Reader

Jan 21, 2026

Rather than deliver any sense of tension and release or thematic heft, The Plague remains a sometimes beautifully realized but ultimately hollow and frustrating hour and a half spent with selfish tween boys.

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Jordan Ruimy

World of Reel

Aug 14, 2026

B+

Polinger directs with real nerve, and stylistic precision, turning swimming pools and hallways into claustrophobic zones. Shot on 35 mm, it looks beautiful in a cold, suffocating way. It’s an impressively confident, disturbing first feature that lingers.

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Lexi Amoriello

Movie Recs by Lex

Jul 10, 2026

The Plague offers a harrowing look at masculinity and adolescence, exposing the power dynamics and social hierarchies at play. For a film set a little over twenty years ago, its message remains as relevant and urgent as ever.

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Matt Orozco

Macabre Daily

Jul 2, 2026

"The Plague" twists its screws of social discomfort into you slowly and with surgical precision as it ramps up some truly unnerving scenes of the awkwardness of growing up.

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Juandi

Feb 3, 2026

What a great cast of young actors. The movie has a lot of heart but the one major critique I have is that it lacks a climax. If there is one, it’s highly underwhelming. Good effort but falls short.

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John C

Jan 18, 2026

Requires patience but more than well worth it. Subtle but builds to a walloping impact overall, despite its subtilty. Or perhaps because of it. Really exceptional, especially for such a sensitive and complex topic.

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Aspen

Jan 12, 2026

There is no beginning and no end too this movie. No TRUE plot line , just boys being bullied under the disguise of thriller with their being 0 thrill aspect. BUT the acting of these young actors was incredible which is the only redeeming factor of this movie.

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Mick E

Jan 8, 2026

Terrifying, Triggering, Great acting & direction.

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jesse v

Jan 8, 2026

you know, having only one adult that the adultery-written kids rely on doesn't make this movie about bullying in a gigantic pool academy with tons of other people around any clear like water.

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Barbara

Jan 7, 2026

The lead actor— Everett Blunck—gives a phenomenal performance.

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Charlie Polinger

Director

Joel Edgerton

Daddy Wags

Everett Blunck

Ben

Kayo Martin

Jake

Kenny Rasmussen

Eli

Lennox Espy

Julian

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Synopsis

In the summer of 2003, at an all-boys summer water polo camp, socially anxious twelve-year-old Ben struggles to fit in amidst a ruthless social hierarchy. When he befriends Eli -- a lonely, acne-ridden outcast shunned by the others for allegedly carrying a contagious "plague" -- Ben becomes entangled in a cruel, escalating ritual of scapegoating and fear. As the lines between teasing and real harm blur, Ben is forced to confront his own complicity and the terrifying cost of belonging. A tense, darkly humorous coming-of-age story about masculinity, peer pressure, and the horrors that fester when cruelty masquerades as a game.

Director: Charlie Polinger
Producer: Lizzie Shapiro, Lucy McKendrick, Joel Edgerton, Steven Schneider, Roy Lee, Derek Dauchy
Screenwriter: Charlie Polinger
Distributor: Independent Film Company
Production Co: Five Henrys Productions, Image Nation Abu Dhabi, Spooky Pictures, The Space Program, Hellcat
Rating: R (Sexual Material|Self-Harm/Bloody Images|Language|Some Drug and Alcohol Use)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 24, 2025, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 3, 2026
Box Office (Gross USA): $684.0K
Runtime: 1h 38m

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