‘lurker’ Review: Alex Russell Masterfully Dissects The Fanatic In Pop Star Fandom [sundance]

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PARK CITY – Oh, this movie is gonna beryllium a thing. The directorial debut of writer Alex Russell, “Lurker” is nan benignant of movie that lingers pinch you for days. Especially if you’ve spent moreover a week moving tangentially successful nan intermezo industry. Although that reference suggests this communicative has constricted entreaty which isn’t nan lawsuit whatsoever.

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A world premiere astatine nan 2025 Sundance Film Festival, “Lurker” starts disconnected innocently enough. Matthew (Théodore Pellerin, pitch-perfect) useful astatine a hep eastside LA clothing store. When Oliver (Archie Madekwe, superb), a fast-rising popular star, walks in, his co-worker Jamie (Sunny Suljic) acts for illustration a dorky fan, but Matthew plays it cool. He instantly plays a opus connected nan store’s speakers that speaks to Oliver (huh, now really would he cognize that). And successful a flash, Oliver, who has been avoiding fans arsenic he shops done nan store, takes a liking to Matthew.

Invited to hang, Matthew discovers a mini posse holed up astatine Oliver’s rented Hollywood Hills home. There’s longtime “friend” Sweet (Zack Fox), a genuinely smarter than everyone successful nan room manager, Shai (Havana Rose Liu), and his documentary, euphony video director/editor/jack of each video trades, and instantly suspicious of newcomers, Noah (Daniel Zolghadri). Oh, and whoever other conscionable happens to beryllium successful nan location that day.

Matthew is met pinch suspicion upon his arrival. He’s not nan first to person an invitation from Oliver and he won’t beryllium nan last. Within almost minutes Matthew witnesses Shai person a terse speech pinch personification pleading to beryllium allowed backmost successful nan house. Life successful Oliver’s bubble is tenuous.

Now, Oliver is simply a definite type of popular prima successful nan mediate half of this century. He’s not huge, but he’s bubbling up. He has a beardown online fanbase and a celebrated album, but still uses a circuit autobus for his gigs and is playing venues nan size of The Wiltern successful LA aliases Terminal 5 successful NYC. He isn’t headlining awesome festivals, astatine slightest not yet. He besides whitethorn beryllium creatively stuck aliases anxious astir his follow-up album, but we’ll get there.

Without question, everyone successful Oliver’s circle has an agenda. He’s either their societal ladder for their ain fame aliases a repast ticket. Matthew isn’t precisely fitting successful until he pulls retired an aged Hi8 signaling camera to grounds Oliver and a buddy fooling astir connected bikes. When Oliver sees nan footage, he’s excited. This is nan artistic he’s been looking for, and he instantly sacks Matthew connected a visibly disappointment Noah to beryllium portion of his ocular team. Matthew, a struggling unit employee, carless and surviving pinch his grandmother, is “in.” But for really long?

When Jamie, a manner designer looking for a break, unexpectedly befriends Oliver, Matthew feels threatened. Oliver has showered friends affection connected Matthew. Like galore stars, it’s his charisma and not conscionable his singing sound that has gotten him this far. When that spotlight dims, Matthew’s desperation increases, and his motivations go overmuch much calculated.

As nan communicative unfolds, you whitethorn extremity up having much sympathy for nan ego-driven Oliver. Or, you whitethorn not. The unit of needing a deed has made him consenting to person unusual bedfellows. There are a fewer twists. And 1 wherever nan movie takes a genuinely unexpected turn. Russell throws retired moreover much superb observations astir nan intermezo ecosystem and, of course, nan value and propulsion of fame. It’s each 1 of those “tales arsenic aged arsenic time” stories but really Russell deconstructs this arena successful modern Hollywood is adjacent to revelatory. Even if you’ve knowledgeable it yourself.

In a director’s statement, Russell reveals he was inspired not only by what he saw successful his euphony manufacture friends but really he knowledgeable these societal dynamics specifically among young men while successful college. If you unrecorded agelong enough, you’ll witnesser these behaviors successful conscionable astir everyone. And of each ages too, it’s quality nature, but erstwhile an attainable idol is astatine nan halfway of nan game, nan stakes conscionable go much intense. And successful this context, it’s rather a ride. [A-]

Check retired nan latest reviews from nan 2025 Sundance Film Festival and The Playlist’s complete sum from Park City here.

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