The Plague ★★★½

Teenage boys are horrifying. That much is clear from The Plague and its opening scene. A swimming pool is filmed from below the water with the dark blue water and eerie lighting contributing to a sense of unease. This is heightened by droning synth music as the boys dive into the pool, disturbing the calm water. As the camera slowly approaches one of the boy’s bodies from underwater as if he were prey, we’ve just about experienced every trick in the horror playbook in The Plague’s opener. And it works. It’s uncomfortable.

The boy the camera has approached, Ben (Everett Blunck), is a newcomer to the water polo summer camp. Wanting to fit in with the other boys, he befriends Jake (Kayo Martin), the ringleader of the boys who is also a bully. The primary target of Jake and the boys’ bullying is Eli (Kenny Rasmussen), a boy who is the spitting image of Vincent D’Onofrio. The dynamic between the boys and Eli recalls the first half of Full Metal Jacket when the boys intensely bully Eli and aim to push him to his breaking point. Noticing that Eli has a skin disorder, Jake spreads a rumor that Eli has a dangerous plague and is infectious to the point that incidental contact could transfer the plague. This rumor is particularly cruel as it makes the boys repulsed by Eli and physically distances Eli from the other boys. Ben intrinsically knows that the rumor doesn’t hold any truth, yet can’t help but wonder if the plague is real. Ben feels guilt for how Eli is treated, yet is also compelled to participate in the bullying to fit in with Jake and his friends. Their coach “Daddy Wags” (Joel Edgerton) is also of minimal help in ensuring the boys treat each other with respect despite his efforts of teaching the boys the value of teamwork and coordination in their sport.

New to the water polo school, Ben feels isolated. The sense of isolation is furthered by having to figure out puberty and his personal identity in the absence of family and true friends. He finds himself drawn to Eli, seemingly the only one of the boys who doesn’t ‘have it all figured out’. Ben recognizes that Eli may be a little weird, but finds himself enjoying his time spent with Eli. This budding friendship becomes dangerous however given the other boys. Cinematographer Steven Breckon fills The Plague with shots that take advantage of the water polo school setting. Shadows and the locker room are filmed in a way that suggests danger could be around any corner and a slow dolly shot through the school’s hallways at night provides an unsettling transition between days.

Charlie Polinger’s The Plague explores just how scary puberty and bullying can be and that has struck a nerve with certain audiences. I’d argue that Polinger’s film is not misanthropic, but it’s certainly not saccharine either – it’s not the typical escapist experience we go to the theaters for. The horror (even including some scenes of body horror) hits close to home for many. We all know at least one “Ben”, “Eli”, and “Jake” in our lives and the casting department has exceptionally cast each of them in their roles. Blunck convincingly portrays Ben in an uncertain period in his life, while Rasmussen as Eli rightfully recalls the intense unease and perception of inferiority of Private Leonard “Gomer Pyle” Lawrence in Full Metal Jacket. And Martin as Jake has both a confident and sinister presence about him that inspires fear in the other boys.

As Ben and Eli teeter at their breaking points, Daddy Wags provides Ben with a lesson he learned in his personal life regarding self-growth and acceptance. Even learning this, despite being what Ben truly needs to realize, does not lead to the comfort that Ben has hoped for. Ben, looking for reassurance, remains unsettled, continuing to be challenged by the other boys and his brooding fear of the plague.

Expectedly, The Plague builds to a point of no return for Ben and Eli, one where Ben may finally be able to recognize Eli’s authenticity and take Daddy Wags’ words to heart, albeit with a ending fit for a horror film that isn’t for the squeamish. Blunck’s convincing portrayal of Ben’s uncertainty along with first-time director Charlie Polinger’s effective use of horror elements to tell a coming-of-age story ensure that The Plague won’t easily be forgotten.