"After spotting that Eli's rash guard conceals a red, flaky skin disorder, the boys have concluded that he has the titular plague, a contagious disease that affects social standing as much as it does dermatological well-being. If anyone ever touches him, they must thoroughly wash themselves before they're considered full-blown infected. Even something as innocent as Eli sitting at the same lunch table sends his teammates running and screaming."
"Ben toggles between joining in on the bullying and sympathizing with Eli, who he discovers shares similar interests that some of the other boys might deem "nerdy." One day, when Ben finds it in his heart to treat Eli with extreme kindness, he is subsequently ostracized by the group. Even more odd, Ben begins to itch and scratch his skin, the result of a rash that has mysteriously manifested. Could the plague actually be more than just an adolescent hazing ritual?"
"Set in 2003, Ben (Everett Blunck), a shy yet precocious kid, finds himself shipped off to a water polo camp very far from his childhood home in Boston. His young teammates can practically smell Ben's desperation for belonging; luckily for him, there's already someone cemented at the bottom of the social hierarchy. Eli's (Kenny Rasmussen) reputation as a maladroit athlete and for inept conversationalist make him an easy enough target for bullies, but the kids have added an additional element of psychological warfare."
Set in 2003, Ben is a shy, precocious boy sent to a distant water polo camp away from his Boston childhood. Teammates single out Eli, an awkward athlete, after discovering a red, flaky skin condition and label it the "plague," applying strict contagion rules and social punishment. Ben vacillates between joining the cruelty and befriending Eli, then faces ostracism and a mysterious rash himself. The camp portrays analog adolescence with raunchy stories, new music, underage drinking, weed, and risky behavior, exploring how social dynamics and humiliation shape identity and belonging.
Read at Filmmaker Magazine
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