Real Reflections: ‘LURKER’ Holds a Mirror to The Internet and Parasocial Relationships
What would you do if you had a chance encounter with your favorite artist? What would you do to fit into their world?
This is more or less the question that jumpstarts the beginning of Lurker, the directorial debut of Alex Russell (writer on hit TV shows The Bear and Beef) that features a star-making cast led by Théodore Pellerin, Archie Madekwe and Real Ones’ favorite Twin, Zack Fox. I attended the Chicago debut premiere at the Music Box on Friday, August 29th, which was followed by an exclusive Q&A with Russell and Pellerin (Fox was unable to attend due to a flight delay), and it was one of my favorite movie-going experiences I've been to all 2025.
The movie opens with a seemingly average fashion retail employee named Matthew Morning, or “Matty,” striking up a conversation with a customer who just so happens to be a rising pop star mononymously known as Oliver. Matty feigns being too cool for school, pretending not to recognize Oliver as a celebrity despite playing a specific Nile Rodgers song on the store’s intercom that Oliver had previously posted on his Instagram. This interaction leads to Oliver inviting Matty to attend his concert happening that same evening as a VIP guest, where Matty is then introduced to Oliver’s entourage: manager Shai (Havana Rose Liu), videographer Noah (Daniel Zolghadri), engineer Bowen (Felix of Paris Texas), and Zack Fox’s Swett, who primarily acts as the enforcer of the group. What starts as a painfully awkward white guy clearly being exploited by a person with clout as his general errand boy evolves into a creative partnership when Matty begins recording fly-on-the-wall style content with a VHS camera. With Oliver’s co-sign, Matty’s own social media following explodes overnight, and external validation strokes his ego to the point where he begins to obsess over his status as Oliver’s “best friend” in their social circle, constantly competing with anyone who he perceives as a threat to take over that position. A game of push-and-pull between Matty and the entourage occurs until one day, the power dynamic completely shifts in one side’s favor, and the rest of the film following this moment is a deeply unsettling display of manipulation and emotional abuse.
From the left, Oliver (Madeke) and Matty (Pellerin)
In regards to the actual quality of this film, it’s about as close to flawless as a movie can get in my book. The chemistry between the cast was dynamic, with the actors doing an incredible job of pulling you into the film with them during these anxiety-inducing scenes. This is assisted by the cinematography, which features the first-person POV shots of Matty’s camcorder that often zoom in way too close on his subjects, a parallel to the complete lack of boundaries he displays in person. Pellerin and Madekwe have proven their acting chops, each with roles in critically acclaimed Ari Aster films, but Lurker allows them to shine as leads. Zack Fox’s performance was also genuinely scene-stealing, providing further evidence that comedians have an impeccable knack for playing the straight guy in a serious movie. I would also be remiss to not mention that the soundtrack, executive-produced by Kenneth Blume (aka Kenny Beats), acts as an additional character in this film’s story. Music in movies plays such a key role in determining what feelings the audience is supposed to perceive, and it’s hard to imagine those anxiety-inducing moments of the film without Kenny’s eerie sound design, or the original songs with lyrics directly paralleling what we’ve seen unfold throughout the film, assisting in its storytelling. I genuinely believe this film deserves consideration come award season. (Note: At the time of publishing, Lurker received four nominations for the Independent Spirit Awards, winning two for Best First Screenplay and Best First Feature.)
At only 100 minutes, the pacing of the film is near-perfect, as not a single moment ever feels like it's wasted, steadily progressing the story through showing, not just telling. Perhaps it moves a bit too fast at certain moments, but regardless, Russell does a brilliant job of subverting any expectations you might have for “obsessed fan” movies such as Misery or The Fan. Anytime I thought I knew what would happen next, the scene would play out completely different, yet still give me a sick-to-my-stomach feeling (complimentary). Furthermore, the film makes an important statement regarding parasocial relationships, social media and the tug-of-war between maintaining appearances and being authentic. The true nature of some of these clouted up “In-Crowds” deserves to be examined and interrogated, especially within a creative community that, frankly, put has seen its own fair share of “Lurkers” (derogatory).
Overall, I am giving this movie a 9 out of 10 and encourage anyone to watch it as soon as possible. Lurker is currently available on MUBi for streaming.
