The Plague

The Plague does an exceptional job of making viewers share in Ben’s growing sense of dread.

Like the weeping sores that spread on Eli’s body, the bloody gouges that Ben carves into his thumb with nervous scratching, and the haunted look in Daddy Wags’ eyes, Polinger delivers a troubling and heart-stopping lesson that such childhood horrors will always leave a mark.

This is a deeply emotional film in high concept clothing, coded to resonate with those of us well-versed in the instinct to betray ourselves in order to be accepted.

The Plague, at times, can be too grueling a watch, especially in its graphic depiction of self-harm. It's also one of the most vital movies in recent memory in capturing what it's like to be 12 or 13 years old.

Charlie Polinger opens his thrilling and uneasy directorial debut feature The Plague with an arresting sequence that quickly establishes the haunting undertones of this adolescent psychological thriller.

Drawn from experience and benefiting from some standout performances among its well-selected young cast, The Plague has a familiar coming-of-age narrative, but stranger, subtler undercurrents of creeping dismay at the men these boys will become when, at this formative age, cruelty chlorinates the water they swim in.

The Plague is a movie-movie, rather than a genuinely searching or affecting film about that most awkward age when fitting in with a group can seem like the most important thing in the world.

"The Plague" is a taut and entrancing case study on the terror of toxic teens and the viciousness with which people are willing to treat each other. Charlie Polinger opens his thrilling and uneasy directorial debut with an arresting feature that quickly establishes the haunting undertones of adolescence psychological thriller.

The rhythm is super slow and I think the ending was wasted. It shows bullying problems with strange ways to overcome them.

Forty-five minutes of cool, creepy setup. Forty-five of slow realization that the film’s boring-ass commentary on adolescence is the only payoff.

The young cast does a great job and the film has some truly striking visuals. Sadly, there just isn’t enough of a story worth watching here. The premise is interesting and engaging, but ultimately the film trails off into obscurity. The film lurches through its runtime, initially building tension, but it becomes clear that it’s actually just padding itself out. By the end, we’re not given any kind of satisfying payoff or closure to proceedings.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]