Episode 166: The Plague with Charlie Polinger

The Plague is writer-director Charlie Pollinger’s unflinching portrait of childhood bullying in which the titular contagion is a skin rash that may or may not be real. Set in 2003, at an all-boys summer camp, it follows Ben – played by Everett Blunck – as he enters a group with a clear social hierarchy. At the top is Jake, a smirking bully played by Kayo Martin. Very much at the bottom is an eczema-ridden outcast named Eli, played by Kenny Rasmussen. When Ben shows kindness towards Eli, he finds his footing in the group beginning to shift. What happens next makes for uncomfortable but vital cinema.

On today’s episode of Script Apart, Charlie joins me to describe how this story began in his childhood bedroom during the Covid-19 pandemic, flipping through his own childhood diaries. We get into the cruelty that kids are capable of and the realness and relatability with which he translated that cruelty to the page. We also break down every key scene and character in spoilerific detail because that’s what we do here on Script Apart – so be sure to watch the movie first beffore diving in.

Script Apart is hosted by Al Horner and produced by Kamil Dymek. Follow us on Instagram, or email us on thescriptapartpodcast@gmail.com.

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