PARK CITY, UTAH Feb. 1 (UPI) — Lurker, which screened at the Sundance Film Festival, effectively creates discomfort on two fronts. A stalker is unsettling but the celebrity world is off-putting as well.
Matthew (Théodore Pelerin) meets singer Oliver (Archie Madekwe) in the clothing store where Matthew works. After talking, Oliver invites Matthew to hang out backstage after his show that night.
Matthew manages to say the right things at the concert, cementing him as a new part of Oliver’s entourage. While he isn’t exactly treated well, Oliver does ask Matthew to film behind-the-scenes video for his documentary. Matthew becomes so attached that Oliver can’t get him to leave.
It’s clear from the beginning that Matthew will be the lurker. He drops the rest of his life to be with Oliver even though there’s no indication Oliver is paying him.
It’s odd that Oliver even likes Matthew’s footage, because he shoots too close and can’t hold the camera still. Fortunately, the rest of the movie is steady.
Archie Madekwe, seen at the 2024 Critics Choice Awards in Santa Monica, California, plays a famous singer in “Lurker.” File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI
Gradually, Matthew’s behavior becomes more and more inappropriate and manipulative. He gets especially jealous when another friend (Sunny Suljic) gets Oliver’s attention.
But Oliver’s entourage is never a healthy friendship. Oliver is flaky and Matthew can never rely on the singer fulfilling his promises.
Alex Russell wrote and directed “Lurker.” Photo courtesy of Sundance Institute
Matthew spends a lot of time waiting around for Oliver’s attention, just lurking. This is uncomfortable on a vicarious level of seeing someone’s time wasted.
Oliver’s entourage is full of people who mess with Matthew just to pass the time. It’s a recognizable toxic trait when someone says “I’m just playing” while they’re being abusive.
It’s clear to the audience that Matthew is never fully accepted by Oliver’s group. When Oliver flies him to London they don’t even have a performance visa for Matthew.
The situation illustrates how uncommitted Oliver is — he instructs Matthew to come to London without making any preparations. Then he expects Matthew to cover for it by telling customs he’s on vacation.
At one point, Oliver tries to ditch Matthew, but he already knows where Oliver lives and he’s relentless.
The tension writer-director Alex Russell creates is different but equally valid to that in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You. Legs creates anxiety as an exhilarating release, while Lurker confronts the viewer with disturbing behavior from both parties.
The performances convey the subtleties of these parasitic relationships. Pellerin’s face seethes while hiding his anger and obsession enough to pass social norms.
Madekwe shows Oliver’s frustration but also remains charming enough to be considered likable by his adoring public. Oliver also has people in his crew to play the bad guy, like manager Shai (Havana Rose Lui) and his actual video director Noah (Daniel Zolghadri), but neither can deter Matthew.
Matthew is ultimately the more criminal of the two, but neither character represents a healthy relationship.
Fred Topel, who attended film school at Ithaca College, is a UPI entertainment writer based in Los Angeles. He has been a professional film critic since 1999, a Rotten Tomatoes critic since 2001, and a member of the Television Critics Association since 2012 and the Critics Choice Association since 2023. Read more of his work in Entertainment.
