The plague (The Plague) is a 2025 American-Romanian drama thriller film directed by Charlie Pollinger from a screenplay by Charlie Pollinger. The film is set to be released in the United States on January 2, 2026.
The plague is an American psychological drama thriller film – the directorial debut of Charlie Pollinger, which combines a coming-of-age story with dark social commentary, exploring the cruelty and mechanics of group obedience among adolescents.
The film premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and later received a limited release in the United States in December 2025 before expanding in January 2026.
The film is set at a summer water polo camp in 2003, where 12-year-old Ben tries to fit in with a group of more experienced boys. The camp is dominated by Jake, the charismatic but gruff leader of the group, who mockingly calls Ellie "the plague" because of a severe skin rash that has become a myth and a fear.
Trying to fit in, Ben initially joins in the taunts against Ellie, but gradually begins to sympathize with his excluded teammate. As rumors of a "plague" become more pervasive, Ben discovers that the pressure to belong can be just as destructive as the physical scars he and Ellie "share.".
The plot traces the psychological pressure of adolescents, group dynamics, and moral dilemmas, which can turn into a far more terrible "contagion" than a skin reaction - namely social isolation, shame, and ridicule.
Charlie Pollinger builds The plague as a stylish and tense psychological exploration of early adolescence, using minimalist but impactful direction. The camera often stays close to the characters' faces, emphasizing the emotional vulnerability and social tensions that are at the heart of the story. The film uses visual metaphors – such as underwater scenes – to express a sense of lost identity and the pressure to „float“ among others, which heightens the atmospheric and psychological effect. The tone is a rare combination of realistic social realism, quiet anxiety and an almost horror feel, brought not by monsters, but by the mechanics of group behavior and toxic dynamics among boys.
Everett Blunk delivers a strong performance as Ben, a sensitive and insecure teenager whose desire to be accepted by the group clashes with the weight of his own conscience and morality.
Caio Martin is powerful and dominant as Jake, leader of the camp boys, whose cruel games and taunts reveal the dark sides of the social hierarchy.
Kenny Rasmussen as Ellie brings depth and vulnerability to the role of outcast and object of ridicule, which is the core of "the plague" - the metaphor for mutual rejection.
Joel Edgerton, in addition to being a producer, plays the role of coach "Daddy Wags", who tries to guide the boys towards respect and responsibility, although often without success.
The plague is a powerful psychological film that uses the setting of a children's camp and a "strange illness" as a canvas to explore teenage fears, peer pressure, alienation, and identity. The film eschews straightforward genre clichés and instead places the inner fears and social dynamics of teenagers at the center of an unusually tense, deeply human story. This is a film that can shake viewers—not with monsters, but with the reality of a world where the rules of acceptance and exclusion can be more terrifying than any physical threat.
