Lurker - A Review

Lurker (Streaming on Mubi as of October 10th) 

Dir: Alex Russell

Starring: Théadore Pellerin, Archie Madekwe

Runtime: 101 Mins 

    “What’s the difference between love and obsession?” laments pop musician Oliver in his song. At the same time, off-screen, he is being pelted by paintballs during a music video, which is a great introduction to the film, coming at the midway point of Lurker.  The film stems from a new film sub-genre of musicians who have to deal with obsessive, overzealous, delusional fans (Hurry Up Tomorrow, Sweetness 2025), who get overly attached to the celebrity status of the musician. Things get out of control really fast. Helmed by two great performances and the direction/writing from Alex Russell, Lurker is in its own class. We are at times obsessed with the lifestyle that is not our own in the celebrity social media age. Lurker shows the darker side of what it means to be caught up in the lifestyle, and that it’s harder to walk away when you’ve grown accustomed to it. Jealousy, rivalry and blackmail are the darker elements of this cycle. Not just being in celebrity status, but the toll social media takes on your life. 

    Matthew Morning (Théadore Pellerin) works at a popular clothing store that is frequented by rising pop musician Oliver (Archie Madekwe). Matthew gets the attention of Oliver one day by playing an under-appreciated song he loves over the store’s speakers. This begins the whirlwind of fandom and celebrity culture that Matthew is about to experience as Oliver gives him a backstage pass to an upcoming concert, which leads Oliver to ask him to join his entourage as his documentarian. Being the new member, Matthew is met with skepticism and resistance by Oliver’s friends, but is eventually accepted. He begins to contribute numerous visual elements to Oliver’s upcoming album cycle and becomes so ingrained in the world, he quits his job at the store. The visual elements are more with a handheld camera that gives the film a deep personal documentary intimacy with Oliver and his entourage. 

    A rising social media figure for his association with Oliver, Matthew is approached by his former co-worker Jamie, who is also a fan of Oliver and wants to meet him. A reluctant Matthew agrees, and Jamie is integrated into the entourage and comes in with his own artistic designs and visions that Oliver loves.  On a trip over to London, Matthew tries to sabotage Jamie to get him out of the group, now feeling jealous of the lack of attention. He is promptly shunned by Oliver and his friends afterwards over his actions. Matthew tries to make amends with Oliver and his entourage, who want nothing from him anymore. So what does Matthew conjure up? Getting even with Oliver through the forum of blackmailing him. So begins a cat-and-mouse game between Matthew and Oliver. 

    Where Lurker is set apart from its counterparts in the subgenera of obsessive fans over musicians is first the strong performances from Théadore Pellerin and Archie Madekwe, who continuously play at the power and control dynamic, never revealing to one another who is in control. This comes in around the final act as described as a cat and mouse thriller.  Director and Writer Alex Russell knows how to create these uneasy characters that are obsessive, as he previously worked as a writer on Beef, which saw the power dynamic between Danny Cho (Steven Yeun) and Amy Lau (Ali Wong). As well, the aesthetics of having that home video footage that Matthew documents Oliver’s life is a welcome expression to this sub-genre, giving the film a type of celebrity intimacy. Should this sub-genre of film continue? This year, we were treated to Hurry Up Tomorrow. While the artistic direction was there from director Trey Edward Shults, the Achilles heel of the film comes to a climactic ending of campiness, with the Weekend yelling, “I’m going on tour!” And Jenna Ortega explaining the meaning of his own songs back to him. A type of self-congratulatory victory lap about the songs that everyone is obsessed with. With direction and objectives in the way the film closes in a formal nuance style of a reflection, Lurker has something to say about our obsessions with famous celebrities in this social media age. Sometimes things are not as you envision them, the darker reality of celebrity and social media status. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Remi is the host of At The Movies along with regular Co-Host Danny Aubery every Tuesday morning from 9-10 AM only on CJLO 1690 AM. They cover local film festivals, have interviews with directors and actors, and talk about a new film or the classics. They also cover the iconic sounds of present and past film scores and soundtracks. Follow Remi on Letterboxd.