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The Plague review
With Fincher-like intent, director Charlie Polinger scopes out concealed psychological depths in a debut that sees the laws of the jungle play out
TL;DR
- The film is set at a boy’s water polo training camp in the summer of 2003.
- It explores the psychological depths beneath the surface of the campers' interactions.
- The camp environment is characterized by a brutal hierarchy, braggadocio, bullying, hazing, and gaslighting.
- Latecomer Ben tries to ingratiate himself with the cool crowd led by Jake, avoiding the outcast status of Eli, who is targeted with a fabricated disease called 'the plague'.
- The first hour is praised for its fantastic portrayal of initiation rites and youthful wantonness, with visual sharpness and a keen ear for the adolescent imagination.
- The film flirts with body horror and the psychosomatic nature of the 'plague'.
- The latter part of the film is criticized for predictable beats and easily divulged influences, with comparisons to Private Pyle and Beau Travail.
- The young performers, Everett Blunck, Kayo Martin, and Kenny Rasmussen, are commended for their unfiltered rawness.