THE PLAGUE
Starring: Joel Edgerton, Everett Blunck, Kayo Martin, Kenny Rasmussen, and Elliott Heffernan
Director: Charlie Polinger
ADRIANO
The Plague is one of the most accurate cinematic portrayals of tween cliques I can remember. While examining bullying and the longstanding psychological effect it can have, it brought back some ugly memories for me, the mark of any effective coming-of-age film. The child performances are all believable to a degree that I remembered these kids growing up. I will say, while the direction is tense and innovative, I could’ve done without the horror elements. They ruin nothing, but the film was a nightmare to watch without them, making them more of a distraction from the film's true brilliance.
PAIGE
The Plague is one of those films I dove into without really knowing what to expect, and it’s genuinely unnerving in how effective it is. It’s shot and paced like a horror movie as the real horror presented here is how cruel kids can be to one another. The direction is gripping and will leave you tense throughout. The performances from the young cast are terrific and feel completely authentic. The cinematography is stunning and the sound design is dauntingly effective. But even with these strengths, the narrative needed more meat on its bones to fully latch onto, as it weirdly doesn’t amount to much by the end.
