‘The Plague’ Review: Charlie Polinger’s Stylish, Bombastic Debut Feature With Joel Edgerton Has Little Emotion Under The Surface [Cannes]

While ostensibly adopting the perspective of a kind and sensitive 12-year-old boy going through the wringer at the hands of bullies, “The Plague” leaves a bitter, chlorine-y taste in the mouth. Set at a water polo camp, this competently realised debut feature from American director Charlie Polinger has its cake and eats it, gleefully aestheticizing the brutal violence and braggadocio cultivated in that environment. As alarming as that sounds, its relentless formal play seems a sign of cinematic enthusiasm rather than anything more sinister — the work of a filmmaker delighting in the aesthetic and dramatic possibilities granted him by his subject. Continue reading ‘The Plague’ Review: Charlie Polinger’s Stylish, Bombastic Debut Feature With Joel Edgerton Has Little Emotion Under The Surface [Cannes] at The Playlist.

May 16, 2025 - 22:02

‘The Plague’ Review: Charlie Polinger’s Stylish, Bombastic Debut Feature With Joel Edgerton Has Little Emotion Under The Surface [Cannes]

While ostensibly adopting the perspective of a kind and sensitive 12-year-old boy going through the wringer at the hands of bullies, “The Plague” leaves a bitter, chlorine-y taste in the mouth. Set at a water polo camp, this competently realised debut feature from American director Charlie Polinger has its cake and eats it, gleefully aestheticizing the brutal violence and braggadocio cultivated in that environment. As alarming as that sounds, its relentless formal play seems a sign of cinematic enthusiasm rather than anything more sinister — the work of a filmmaker delighting in the aesthetic and dramatic possibilities granted him by his subject.

Continue reading ‘The Plague’ Review: Charlie Polinger’s Stylish, Bombastic Debut Feature With Joel Edgerton Has Little Emotion Under The Surface [Cannes] at The Playlist.