There are moments in The Plague, director Charlie Polinger's debut feature, where the early teen angst boils upwards and nearly bubbles over the edge. Ben's (Everett Blunck) anxiety peaks and dives as he swerves the social climate of a water polo camp with a dozen other horny and profane boys, all on the verge of proclaiming bullying and mocking others as their primary religion. The object of ridicule is Eli (Kenny Rasmussen), a kid whose body has been covered by a mysterious rash. The boys nickname him The Plague, and avoid him when he comes near them. It's not long before Ben's kindness to the outcast makes him a target for ridicule.
The Plague is a well meaning examination of puberty run amok. It is well shot, and especially well performed, as most of the young cast is convincing more often than not. But the singular faux pas it makes is leaving is with a (somewhat) anti-climacting ending. I expected more than a few droplets of blood and a rushed ride to a hospital during a rainstorm, and the protagonist dancing madly by himself (how very Beau Travail of him) as the cuckling bystanders watch along. It is an ok final scene, but perhaps one unworthy of the ninety-plus bold minutes that preceded it.
☆☆1/2
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