The Plague, as seen by Charlie Polinger

What inspired you to begin work on this film?

I wanted to explore the violence and vulnerability of boyhood in a way I hadn’t seen on screen. Many coming-of-age films, particularly about boys, tend to be comedic or nostalgic — but for me, being 12 felt more like a living hell of social anxiety.

I wanted to immerse the audience in the volatile, hyperintense headspace of a neurotic pre-teen boy: group dynamics, social hierarchies, masculinity, and cruelty — the way power mutates in a closed system, such as a sports camp.

The Plague is a personal film, directly inspired by the journals I kept during a summer camp I attended in 2003. While the story is fictional, the emotional core — the shifting power dynamics, the fear of humiliation, even some of the dialogue — comes from lived experience.

Please describe your working method and the atmosphere on set.

We were very precise with our camera, but it was essential to leave space for the boys to surprise us. Often, we’d shoot the scripted version a few times, then let them improvise, react, and go off-script, so that the performances felt raw and true to the age.

The main character, Ben (Everett Blunck), witnesses something shocking early in the film. During the take, I had our producer, Lucy, run over and scream at the top of her lungs behind the camera to elicit a real reaction. Everett turned red, then burst into stunned laughter, but stayed completely in character through it all.

Please share a few words about your actors.

I learned a lot working with the boys, including some who were first-time actors. They’re extremely spontaneous and reactive to their environment.

I have long admired Joel Edgerton from afar. So it was kind of a dream to have him act in my first film. He amazingly gets into character: every time he’s on camera, it feels very authentic. He’s a great screenwriter and filmmaker too. So he’s always thinking about how his performance fits into the larger narrative experience.

I found actor Kayo Martin on Instagram. He’d go around Manhattan skateboarding, pranking people, and cooking at restaurants. I thought that he’d make the perfect Jake. During his audition, he blew us all away.

Kenny Rasmussen had never acted in a feature film before, but the team and I were certain that he had to play Eli from the moment we saw his first tape. On set, he was completely fearless, and didn’t hold back. He also has an amazing sense of humor, and improvised several lines that made it into the film. Not to mention, he’s also an amazing dancer.

Everett Blunck, who plays Ben, was coming off his success from Griffin in Summer, and working with him was like working with an actor twice his age. He was incredibly prepared for every scene; creating an extensive inner life for the role. He was always eager to try new things, and he moved the crew to tears on more than one occasion.