The Plague (2025) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

• AMC Plus Apple TV channel Stream · HD
• AMC+ Stream · HD
• AMC+ Amazon Channel Stream · HD
• AMC+ Roku Premium Channel Stream · HD
• Hulu Stream · HD
• Philo Stream · HD
• Sundance Now Stream · HD
• Amazon Video Rent $3.99 · 4K
• Apple TV Store Rent $3.99 · 4K
• Fandango At Home Rent $5.99 · 4K
• Google Play Movies Rent $7.99 · SD

Streaming availability powered by

• B

  Ben (Everett Blunck)

  Ben is a middle schooler who starts out eager to fit in with Jake’s group, which leads him into participating in the bullying of Eli. He experiences guilt as he witnesses Eli’s outsider status and gradually grows empathy. A pivotal arc shows him confronting the dynamics of the camp and choosing a more compassionate path, even amid social pressures. His transformation culminates in a dance that mirrors Eli’s uninhibited spirit.

  • 🌀 teenager
  • 📚 self-discovery
  • 💔 peer-pressure
• J

  Jake (Kayo Martin)

  Jake is a popular, callous member of the camp’s social circle who leads the exclusion of Eli and spreads rumors. He embodies the aggressive hierarchy that triggers fear and division among the campers. His actions escalate to physical confrontation and a harsh attempt to assert dominance. Jake’s bullying sets the central conflict of the story, forcing others to choose sides.

  • 👊 bully
  • 🧭 leadership
  • 🧪 rivalry
• E

  Eli (Kenny Rasmussen)

  Eli is the misfit of the group, defined by his severe eczema and outsider status. He Endures taunts while showing quiet resilience and a stubborn sense of self. He uses a cardboard cutout as a symbol of his individuality and dances with it after being spurned by the others. His presence challenges the other boys to confront their judgments and empathy.

  • 🌟 outsider
  • 🩹 resilience
  • 🧴 eczema
• C

  Corbin (Kolton Lee)

  Corbin is part of Jake’s circle, contributing to the group’s dynamic and the bullying atmosphere. He represents the social pressure to conform and participate in the exclusion of Eli and Ben. His actions illustrate how peer influence can reinforce cruelty unless challenged by a turning point.

  • 🤝 peer-pressure
  • 🧭 follower
  • 🕹 group-dynamics
• J

  Julian (Lennox Espy)

  Julian is another member of the camp’s social set aligned with the group that excludes Eli and later Ben. He embodies the early-2000s teen culture that prizes popularity and belonging over empathy. As events unfold, his stance helps to reveal the moral complexity within the group.

  • 👥 popularity
  • 🧭 conformity
  • 🧩 social-dynamics
• M

  Matt (Caden Burris)

  Matt is part of Jake’s friend group, contributing to the camp’s social hierarchy and the teasing environment. He mirrors how easily bystanders can become participants when a social ritual is involved. His actions help dramatize the pressures of group approval.

  • 🧍 bystander
  • 🧪 social-hierarchy
  • 🧱 peer-pressure
• L

  Logan (Lucas Adler)

  Logan is another member of the upper-tier camp crowd who engages in the group dynamics that shape Ben’s experience. He helps illustrate how reputations are formed and sustained in competitive youth cultures. His presence adds to the sense of a tightly-knit but fragile social order.

  • 👤 status
  • 🧷 youth-culture
  • 🕊 conformity
• T

  Tic Tac (Elliott Heffernan)

  Tic Tac is a distinctive member of Jake’s crew, contributing to the group’s energy and the obstacles Ben faces. The character represents the cohesiveness of the circle that polices behavior and excludes Eli and Ben. His role helps drive the tension and the eventual moral reckoning.

  • 🎯 enforcer
  • 🧩 team-dynamics
  • 🌀 subgroup
• D

  Daddy Wags (Joel Edgerton)

  Daddy Wags is the camp coach who navigates the tension between discipline and support. He reprimands Jake privately and offers a moment of accountability in the group. He also escorts Eli to the hospital after a violent incident, underscoring the stakes of the boys' behavior and Ben’s evolving sense of responsibility.

  • 🏆 authority
  • 🧭 mentorship
  • 🛟 responsibility
• S

  Special Cameo (Arianna Baraitaru)

  A brief cameo appearance by Arianna Baraitaru's character at the camp, adding a moment of contrast to the male-centric setting. The exact role is not central to the main plot but contributes to the camp's atmosphere of social interaction.

  • 🎬 cameo
  • 🧩 side-plot
  • 🕰 brief

• 🫂

  Bullying

  The film centers on how a dominant group enforces exclusion, turning Eli into a target and pressuring Ben to participate. It shows how cruelty can be normalized in a peer group and the damage it does to victims and bystanders alike. The turning point comes when Ben reassesses his actions and chooses empathy over conformity. The consequences of the bullying drive the narrative toward accountability and change.

• 🎭

  Identity

  Eli’s outsider status highlights the pressures of fitting in within a male-dominated camp culture. The film explores masks people wear to maintain social standing, and how true self-expression can clash with group expectations. Ben’s awakening involves recognizing the humanity of someone who looks or behaves differently. The clashing identities push characters toward moments of vulnerability and truth.

• 💡

  Empathy

  Ben shifts from complicity to allyship as he grows aware of Eli’s experiences and pain. The story shows how empathy can emerge from shared moments and private conversations, even when it costs him social standing. The climax demonstrates that understanding others’ suffering can redefine a person’s actions. The final dance scene crystallizes a new, compassionate impulse that replaces cruelty.