Lurker

A retail employee infiltrates the inner circle of an artist on the verge of stardom. As he gets closer to the budding music star, access and proximity become a matter of life and death.

A gripping slow-burn tale about the thin line between devoted fandom and dangerous obsession, Lurker fittingly worms its way under the viewer’s skin and echoes how the calculating Matthew (Théodore Pellerin) insinuates himself within Oliver’s (Archie Madekwe) inner circle. Forced to assume Matthew’s perspective, the audience is made complicit in the power plays and desperate measures he takes to retain his status when he finds his position in the entourage under threat.

Writer and director Alex Russell, who has produced and written for critically acclaimed series The Bear and Beef, makes a confident feature directorial debut with this sharp critique of modern fame and social media celebrity, which was previously featured on the influential Black List. Pellerin and Madekwe leave a lasting impression, embodying the shifting power dynamics of Matthew and Oliver’s relationship in committed performances that mark them as stars on the rise. —Basil Tsiokos