- Director: Charlie Polinger
- Writer: Charlie Polinger
- Stars: Joel Edgerton, Everett Blunck, Kayo Martin, Kenny Rasmussen
REVIEW
The Plague would be easy to categorise as a Lord Of Flies style film, where the dominant boys rule over the weaker ones but there is something different going on in The Plague.
Set at a water polo camp The Plague is through the eyes of the new kid Ben (Blunck), an anxious 12 year old. He is drawn to the popular group because obviously it’s easier to fit in than to stand out. This group led by baby faced Jake (Martin) singles out Eli (Rasmussen) as having ‘the plague’ – if he touches you, you have to wash it off – and as such is ostracised by the group. As Ben starts to see the cracks in the bullshit rules and laws of the popular group, he begins talking to Eli and soon after is ostracised by the group because now he has ‘the plague’. When Ben begins to develop a rash, he begins to think that maybe the plague is actually something real.
The overwhelming feeling in The Plague is one of dread. The predictable unpredictability of the kids, the bullying and the possibility of violence bubbling beneath the surface all come together to create the intense dread. The sound in the film (both soundtrack and sound design) perfectly sets the tone for the film from the beginning and holds it throughout. Writer/Director Charlie Polinger, in his first feature length film, keeps things fresh, with the moving camera capturing the boys being boys feel and then knowing when to keep it tight and focused to pile.on the tension and growing unease. The same goes for his writing as well, hit the right moments at the right time, it is tightly scripted with really natural dialogue.
The kids in the film are outstanding. All of them are sensational, in particular Blunck as the new kid and Martin as the ring leader of the popular group. Blunck plays the anxiety filled Ben perfectly, getting the right mix of trying to fit in but also fighting against his own values, whilst Martin’s Jake is the perfect mix of smart-alec 13 year old boy and evil mastermind. He doesn’t understand where the cruelty and bullying comes from but he knows how to use it, how to weaponise it. Joel Edgerton as the coach of the boys group is fantastic as well, giving an understated and realistic performance of a coach that is not a stereotyped coach ranting and screaming but as a good human being that just happens to also be a coach. A vision of what the boys could be when they grow up and if they throw away the bullshit that they are or will be hanging on to as they get older. There is a scene where he talks with Ben about how life gets better if you hang in there and it really lands (and probably will for many who had a rough time growing up) as it is a genuine and really sweet scene.
The third act of the film gets a touch predictable as the tension crescendos but its a very minor issue. This psychological horror manages to make you fear what comes next better than most straight horror films released recently. Catch The Plague (yes, pun intended) as quickly as you can.
Ryan Morrissey-Smith
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