In his controversial however undeniably important smash hit ‘Stan’, Eminem relayed the story of an obsessive fan who would do something to get the eye of his idol. His deteriorating psychological well being – conveyed by a collection of more and more worrying letters to Eminem – ultimately led him to threats, then acts, of violence, and even some 20 years later the affect of the track on popular culture is unquestionable, blessing obsessive, generally overstepping followers with the nickname “stans”. After all the depiction of the crazed fan is nothing new – Kathy Bates received an Oscar for Distress again in 1991 – however the creation of social media has exacerbated the phantasm of closeness between stars and stans. Ingrid Goes West and TV collection Swarm discover the darker aspect of celeb worship within the age of the web, and in his function debut, Alex Russell joins the membership with Lurker.
At first it looks as if kismet. Up-and-coming British musician Oliver (Archie Madekwe on charming type) strikes up a dialog with Matthew (Théodore Pellerin, quick turning into one of the crucial thrilling younger actors round) on the hip LA clothes retailer the place he works after listening to a Nile Rodgers track on the sound system. He invitations Matthew to his gig, and after some mild hazing from his posse, Matt finds himself granted entry into Oliver’s inner-circle. However proximity to stardom isn’t a certain factor, and with so many hangs-on competing for his consideration, Oliver’s a fickle ally. Sadly for him, like a zillennial Proficient Mr. Ripley, Matthew has all however engineered this friendship, and as soon as it’s inside his grasp, he’s not about to let it go.
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Whereas obsessive friendships have been fodder for fiction for many years, it’s normally explored within the context of ladies – the truth that Russell’s movie comes out the identical 12 months as Andrew DeYoung’s Friendship suggests a tide change as males take the highlight, undoubtedly formed by the cultural conversations across the manosphere and male loneliness disaster. Lurker is well timed then, even when the topic itself isn’t particularly recent – however Russell strikes gold along with his younger forged. Pellerin is especially compelling – his vast eyes and looming presence like that of a Borzoi imbue Matt with a clumsy innocence and fragility, however as time goes by his internal bunny boiler (sans bunnies) emerges, because it turns into clear if he can’t preserve Oliver’s friendship willingly, he’ll do it by pressure. Reverse him Madekwe has the impish easygoing vitality of a child about to make it huge, however as Matt’s presence looms bigger in his life, it appears to bodily drain him, slowing his speech and motion, turning him sullen and unhappy.
They’re joined by a milieu of credible cool expertise (Bottoms’ Havana Rose Liu, musician and actor Zach Fox, Humorous Pages’ Daniel Zolghadri, Mid90s’ Sunny Suljic) who collectively create an genuine sense of camaraderie – Oliver’s anxieties round who he can belief inside his circle of buddies are confirmed by the truth that everybody appears tacitly conscious their presence in his life is provisional. Lurker turns into a movie not nearly Matt’s (considerably unexplained) want to be a part of Oliver’s world, however the unusual energy dynamics of that very area, and the convenience of exploitation in an business the place everybody’s hungrier than ever.
It’s an up to date however acquainted story wearing 2020s garb that may date Lurker however maybe not age it, though Russell does paint himself right into a narrative nook early on that doesn’t enable for a lot of surprises. Even so, Lurker is a wonderful showcase for the abilities of Théodore Pellerin (quietly marvellous in each function he takes) and an intriguing first step as a function filmmaker for Alex Russell.
