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

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

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

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

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

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

"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

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

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

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

Terrifying, Triggering, Great acting & direction.

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jesse v

Jan 8

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

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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