Independent Film Company has unveiled the official trailer for The Plague, a coming-of-age thriller from director Charlie Polinger. The film stars Joel Edgerton alongside rising talents Everett Blunck, Kayo Martin, and Kenny Rasmussen, turning the awkward and often brutal landscape of boyhood into something truly nightmarish.
After earning acclaim in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, The Plague will open Dec. 24 in New York and Los Angeles, before expanding nationwide on Jan. 2. Read on for everything to know about The Plague.
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What’s it about?
Set at an all-boys water polo camp, The Plague follows Jake (Kayo Martin), a socially anxious twelve-year-old who becomes entangled in a cruel ritual targeting an outcast with a mysterious illness the campers call “the plague.” As the so-called game spirals out of control, Jake begins to fear that what started as a joke may conceal something disturbingly real.
Watch the trailerWho’s in the cast?
The film stars Joel Edgerton (Train Dreams, The Gift) as “Daddy Wags,” a camp counselor whose authority hides darker tensions. Edgerton also serves as producer under his Five Henrys banner.
Rising stars Everett Blunck, Kayo Martin, and Kenny Rasmussen lead the ensemble as the campers caught in the film’s escalating psychological storm. Blunck previously broke out in the 2024 comedy Griffin in Summer, while Martin — a skateboarder and boxer with over one million social media followers — makes his feature debut. Rasmussen, known for Chicago Med and Night Sky, plays the ostracized “plague boy.”
‘The Plague’ Independent Film Company
Who’s behind the camera?
Director Charlie Polinger makes his feature debut alongside longtime collaborator and cinematographer Steven Breckon, who shot the film on 35mm in Romania.
The creative team also includes editors Henry Hayes (Cha Cha Real Smooth) and Simon Njoo (The Babadook), composer Johan Lenox (known for collaborations with A$AP Rocky and Travis Scott), and Emmy-winning sound designer Damian Volpe (The Lighthouse, The Northman).
Producers include Lizzie Shapiro (Shiva Baby), Lucy McKendrick, Steven Schneider (Split, Watcher), Roy Lee (Barbarian, It), Derek Dauchy, and Joel Edgerton.
‘The Plague’ Independent Film Company
When will it be released?
IFC will release The Plague exclusively in theaters in New York and Los Angeles on Dec. 24, expanding nationwide on Jan. 2.
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