ALord of the Flies-like atmosphere settles over a boys’ water polo camp in writer-director Charlie Polinger’s arresting first feature, in which a kid’s mysterious skin affliction gives his teammates license to bully. That’s the situation that greets Ben (Everett Blunck, Griffin in Summer, MVFF47) as he joins the camp. The insecure tween is desperate to win the approval of the cool clique but more than water polo, the true sport these young athletes enjoy is picking on Eli (Kenny Rasmussen), a misfit with a vibrant rash his teammates claim is contagious. Ben can join in the abuse or defend Eli—at the risk of becoming the bullies’ next target. The young cast is simply extraordinary, joined by Joel Edgerton as the camp’s checked-out coach, in a drama that builds its unease from our childhood fears of not fitting in, throwing us into the deep end alongside Ben. —Tim Grierson
Charlie Polinger
New York-based filmmaker Charlie Polinger began his career making shorts, among them T\*mpo (2016), Sauna (2018), A Place to Stay (2018), and Fuck Me, Richard (2023). He is currently at work on his second feature, The Masque of the Red Death.