Films

Best Picture, Fantastic Fest

In the summer of 2003, an all-boys water polo camp acts as the playground for brutal teenage teasing. As newcomer Ben tries to fit in amongst his fellow campers, he befriends Eli, a quiet outcast. Eli endures constant teasing and harassment from the other boys for a rash they term “The Plague.” The campers’ teasing escalates into something treading the line of real harm. Ben must confront his complicity and desire to belong while the horrors of childhood cruelty play out under the guise of a game. 

Produced by and starring Joel Edgerton (also featured in this year’s Train Dreams),  the thrilling drama is bolstered by honest performances of adolescent unease from Everett Blunk (Griffin in the Summer) and Kayo Martin. Charlie Polinger’s directorial debut blurs coming-of-age and horror through an exploration of the psychological torment of teenage social hierarchy, masculinity, and belonging.

“An auspicious debut for Polinger, technically ambitious and fiercely observant of adolescent anxieties.”
-Hannah Strong, Little White Lies