Movie review
December 24, 2025 · 98 min · R
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
A twelve-year-old boy who struggles socially joins a summer water polo camp full of strict boy hierarchies. He watches and joins in as the group targets an awkward outcast by spreading rumors that he carries a contagious plague linked to his skin problems. The boy's own fears and guilt grow as the summer forces him to face hard choices about belonging and cruelty.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for The Plague.
Woke representation / casting
The cast features a group of boys with some racial diversity consistent with contemporary American summer camps, but the narrative does not highlight or signal identity, race, or representation. Roles serve the story of social dynamics and bullying without prominent quota-style or identity-driven casting choices visible to audiences.
Woke political dialogue
No activist, political, or identity-focused dialogue appears in the film. Interactions revolve around camp activities, social games, rumors, and personal fears.
Identity-driven story themes
The premise involves scapegoating and group exclusion based on perceived difference (skin condition and social awkwardness), but it is presented as a fictional kids' rumor and power game within an all-boys setting rather than tied to modern identity categories like race, gender, or sexuality. Some critical readings add layers of otherness or masculinity critique, but the core narrative stays grounded in psychological and social realism of adolescence.
Western institutional / cultural critique
The film shows how peer hierarchies and minimal adult supervision allow cruelty and complicity to grow among boys, with critics frequently labeling the depicted behaviors as examples of toxic masculinity or violent socialization. However, the story and director frame this through personal memory and universal pre-teen experiences rather than explicit contemporary critiques of patriarchy, Western institutions, or systemic cultural issues.
Production
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant. The story is original and does not involve changes to established characters, source material, or historical figures for ideological or identity reasons.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Searches and coverage reveal no significant or organized complaints from anti-woke or right-leaning viewers accusing the film of promoting DEI, identity politics, or left-wing activist content. Reception centers on its artistic merits and emotional impact.
Creator track record context
Director Charlie Polinger has no public record of activist or identity-driven work, basing this debut on personal journals. Co-producers Joel Edgerton and Steven Schneider maintain low-profile, non-political careers in acting and horror production. Other producers like Cory Finley and Lucy McKendrick show indie film backgrounds focused on character stories without notable patterns of social-justice or representation activism.
