Lurker is probably the most impressive Sundance debut since Whiplash.
Last Updated on January 30, 2025
PLOT: A retail employee (Théodore Pellerin) worms his way into the inner circle of a rising pop star, Oliver (Archie Madekwe) and will do whatever he needs to in order to stay there.
REVIEW: Lurker is exactly the kind of movie I want to see when I hit Sundance. I went in knowing next to nothing about it other than the fact that some folks involved with The Bear had a hand in it. Days before its premiere, it screened for many of the Sundance volunteers, which is usually something they do when they know they have a real winner on their hands.
Sure enough, Lurker is a terrific blend of black comedy and psychological thriller, with it playing out as almost an evil, demented version of Almost Famous. Like that Cameron Crowe classic, this follows the entree of a young man into the inner circle of pop stars, although Théodore Pellerin’s Matthew is far from a wide-eyed innocent. The movie begins with Oliver entering into the trendy boutique Matthew works at, allowing the latter to perfectly insinuate himself by using reverse psychology. You almost root for Matthew, with him sharp-witted, funny and initially gregarious. At the same time, Archie Madekwe’s Oliver is charismatic as the pop star on the verge of a breakthrough. He surrounds himself with sycophants but says he wants someone “real” in the inner circle.
Once Oliver’s fickle affections start to wander, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out what will happen to Matthew’s mental state. Still, Lurker consistently pivots anytime it threatens to be conventional or predictable. Writer-director Alex Russell, who also worked as a writer and director on The Bear and Beef, has made a phenomenally entertaining first feature, with this one of the most memorable Sundance debuts since Whiplash. Expertly assembled, it seems likely to spark a bidding war, with it the kind of movie that could readily crossover to a mainstream audience if handled appropriately.
Théodore Pellerin is reminiscent of a young Anthony Perkins in how he’s able to juggle a sweet-natured, boy-next-door kind of vibe with a barely suppressed sociopathic side, making him one of the most memorable screen psychos in recent memory. Archie Madekwe also gets another impressive role after his turns in Gran Turismo and Saltburn, as the hyper-macho Oliver, whose performative side hides a vulnerability he feels the need to suppress. They’re well supported by Havana Rose Liu as Oliver’s assistant and stand-up comic Zack Fox as the head of his entourage.
Russell’s sense of pace is pitch-perfect, with the 100-minute running time quite disciplined, and the film has the same kind of propulsive energy the best episodes of The Bear have. One thing that will get people talking is how the film depicts the shifting power dynamic between Oliver and Matthew, with it reminding me at times of this great Joseph Losey movie from the sixties, The Servant, which was about a parasitic butler who slowly took over his employer’s life. Lurker plays with the same formula but gives it a contemporary flavour. It’s the kind of movie I come to Sundance hoping to find, and a film I think is going to connect with a lot of our readers once it comes out.
