The Plague (2025) is a United States / Romania psychological drama-thriller set at an all-boys water polo summer camp. It is the feature directorial debut of writer-director Charlie Polinger.
The cast includes Everett Blunck (Ben), Kenny Rasmussen (Eli), and veteran Joel Edgerton as the team coach “Daddy Wags,” with Edgerton also serving as a producer.
The film centers on shy 12-year-old Ben, who becomes entangled in a cruel camp ritual called “The Plague” and watches the line between a mean-spirited game and real harm begin to blur.
The Plague premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and is scheduled for a limited U.S. release in late December 2025 via Independent Film Company.
The Plague Age Rating
The film is rated R by common listings for adults due to strong mature content involving minors: language, sexual material, self-harm/bloody images, and some drug and alcohol use — all depicted in scenes that involve children. Parents should treat the R label here as an explicit signal that the film is intended for mature audiences and may be distressing.
Violence & Peril
Violence in The Plague is primarily psychological and emotional, but it also includes scenes of physical self-harm and bloody images that are presented as part of the boys’ ritual and its aftermath. The film explores sustained bullying, peer coercion, and moments of bodily harm that are intended to unsettle viewers rather than deliver typical genre jump scares. The atmosphere is tense and claustrophobic; the peril feels intimate because it centers on children turning on one another.
Language
The script uses strong profanity intermittently and realistic teen/near-teen speech. Coarse language appears in heated group scenes and confrontations, contributing to a raw, unvarnished tone. Expect frequent adult words in emotional moments and insults used to demean and isolate the outcast character.
Mature Themes
The Plague tackles toxic masculinity, scapegoating, groupthink, adolescent shame, and the psychological cost of fitting in. It also depicts self-harm/bloody imagery and sexual material in scenes involving underage characters. The film treats these topics with stark severity; there is no romanticizing of the abuse, but the material is explicit enough that younger viewers and sensitive teens are likely to find it upsetting. Smoking, alcohol and limited drug-use references appear in the background of the camp environment. Because the mature material centers on children, parental caution is strongly advised.
Is The Plague Suitable for Teens?
Ages 10–12: No. The film’s core characters are pre-teens, but the subject matter — bullying that escalates into self-harm, bloody images, and sexual material involving minors — is not appropriate for children in this bracket. The emotional intensity and clinical presentation of harm make it unsuitable.
Ages 13–15: With Guidance, but generally not recommended. Mature teens with strong emotional resilience might understand the film’s themes, but most viewers in this group will find the content disturbing. If a parent permits viewing, they should pre-screen and be ready to discuss the film’s representation of abuse, consent, and help-seeking.
Ages 16–17: Cautionary Yes for some older teens. Older teens may benefit from the film as a prompt for discussion about peer pressure and masculinity, but the explicitness of self-harm and sexual material requires parental awareness and post-viewing conversation. Parents should consider maturity, prior exposure to difficult topics, and whether the teen is emotionally ready.
Final age recommendation: The Plague is best reserved for mature viewers 17+. For under-17s, parental pre-screening and careful discussion are recommended; for younger teens and children, do not permit viewing.
What Parents Can Do
- Pre-screen before sharing: Watch the film yourself first. The movie’s tension and the way it depicts harm among children can be intense and may be harder to process than summaries suggest.
- Prepare a calm debrief: If you allow an older teen to view the film, plan a discussion afterward. Talk about real-world signs of bullying, how to support someone targeted by peers, and where to get help for self-harm thoughts.
- Contextualize themes of masculinity and group pressure: Use the film as a starting point to discuss how group dynamics can enable cruelty, how “belonging” can demand harmful compromises, and healthy ways to resist peer coercion.
FAQs
Q: What is the official MPAA (or equivalent) rating for The Plague?
A: Major listings show The Plague as R for mature content, including language and disturbing material involving minors.
Q: Is The Plague appropriate for teens?
A: Not for younger teens. Mature older teens (16–17+) may watch with parental guidance, but most parents will likely restrict viewing to adults.
Q: How intense is the bullying and are there scary scenes?
A: The film depicts prolonged psychological bullying and scenes that are emotionally intense rather than jump-scare horror. The tone is unsettling and can feel very real.
Q: Does the film include sexual content or nudity involving minors?
A: The film contains sexual material involving underage characters according to content listings. This is a primary reason for the adult rating and for strongly restricting access for minors.
Q: Are there scenes of self-harm or graphic images?
A: Yes. Content warnings note self-harm and bloody images linked to the central ritual and its psychological fallout. Parents should be aware and consider avoiding the film for sensitive viewers.
Q: When and where can I watch it?
A: The Plague premiered at Cannes (May 16, 2025) and has a limited U.S. theatrical release scheduled for December 24, 2025, via Independent Film Company, with wider expansion slated in early January 2026. Check local listings for exact showtimes and any age restrictions.