The Plague review: Psychological warfare at summer camp
I heard fantastic things about The Plague when it was released in the US in December and have been keeping an eye out for its UK release. Given its positive reception, I’m shocked that it’s being released on digital platforms here with so little fanfare.
The psychological drama-slash-thriller follows a group of 12 and 13-year-old boys at the Tom Lerner Water Polo Camp in the summer of 2003. Newcomer Ben (Everett Blunck) arrives for the second session, discovering that the most popular kids became friends in the first session. As a socially anxious outsider, Ben is desperate to fit into the group – led by ringleader Jake (Kayo Martin) – and be accepted, even if that means being someone he’s not.
They bully the misfit Eli (Kenny Rasmussen), claiming he has “the plague” as he is covered in a sore red rash and spots. Believing that the plague is fake, Ben eventually feels bad for Eli and hangs out with him, so the boys claim he’s caught the contagion and steer clear of him too. Unlike the indifferent Eli, Ben tries to fight back against the plague accusations and change his outcast status.
Damn, these boys are brutal and cruel. It just shows how someone can make up something about you and how hard it is to prove them wrong and clear your name once the lie has spread and everyone believes it. But is the plague a fake bullying tactic, or is it real? We can’t be too sure. There is an element of body horror in here, seeing people pick and scratch at their sore skin, as well as a coming-of-age story, as Ben learns a valuable lesson in being unapologetically himself. And if you weren’t unsettled by the story, the score will help, with the random bursts of discordant sounds putting you on edge!
Writer-director Charlie Polinger did a spectacular job of assembling this cast of mostly newcomers around the ever-brilliant Joel Edgerton as their coach. Ben is the victim of psychological warfare and Blunck does very well at charting his stress and torment and, at times, terror. But the star of the show has to be Martin as the bully Jake. You can see why the boys are drawn to him – he is confident, charming and fun. You want him to like you and avoid being on his bad side at all costs. Martin was nominated for the Best Breakthrough Performance at the Independent Spirit Awards and now I get it. He’s going to be a star, I’m sure.
I had high hopes for The Plague and it did not disappoint. It’s such a shame it’s flown under the radar over here because it deserves more eyeballs on it.
On digital platforms from Monday 20th April