The Plague

Play trailer

1:30

The Plague

R

2025

1h 38m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

97%

Tomatometer

110 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.

Critics Consensus

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

Read Critics Reviews

Sandra Hall

Sydney Morning Herald

Mar 11

4/5

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

Go to Full Review

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.

Go to Full Review

Adam Nayman

The Ringer

Jan 2

3/4

The story is set in 2003, a period expertly evoked via strategic scattering of vintage track suits and portable CD players. But its grim vision of masculinity toxifying in real time gives it the feeling of a movie of the moment.

Go to Full Review

Dionar Hidalgo

Algo Más Que Cine

17h

7/10

A chilling coming-of-age drama that turns bullying into psychological horror. Uneven at times, but its atmosphere and emotional tension linger long after it ends.

Go to Full Review

Blake Howard

One Heat Minute

Mar 30

3/4

What Polinger gets most right is the emotional texture of that age. Every difference feels dangerous. The film understands that for kids like these, survival often means invisibility until, one day, it doesn’t.

Go to Full Review

David Griffiths

Subculture Entertainment

Mar 25

3/5

Is promising enough to show that this is a filmmaker with a big future ahead of them although I would have liked to have seen more suspense and drama throughout the film.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

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.

See more

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.

See more

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.

See more

Mick E

Jan 8

Terrifying, Triggering, Great acting & direction.

See more

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.

See more

Barbara

Jan 7

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

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Charlie Polinger

Director

Joel Edgerton

Daddy Wags

Everett Blunck

Ben

Kayo Martin

Jake

Kenny Rasmussen

Eli

Lennox Espy

Julian

The Plague: Exclusive Clip - The Diner

1:11

View more videos

Repossession

100%

%

Repossession

Watchlist

The Substance

89%

76%

The Substance

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Substance

Vulcanizadora

98%

%

Vulcanizadora

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Vulcanizadora

Raw

93%

76%

Raw

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Raw

Relic

92%

51%

Relic

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Relic

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

The Plague: Trailer 1

1:30

View more videos

View more photos

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 (Some Drug and Alcohol Use|Language|Sexual Material|Self-Harm/Bloody Images)
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

Most Popular at Home Now