Lurker Review (2025 BFI London Film Festival)
Discomfort’s the name of the game for debut director Alex Russell with Lurker. Coming from A24’s Beef and the Emmy successes of The Bear, Lurker is a study in obsession: in both love and fandom. Archie Madekwe follows up his Saltburn performance with a role as rising British alt-indie star Oliver, an artist with an ego and following in direct contest with each other. Cue Matthew Morning – a fan-turned-stalker with more insidious intentions than pure idolisation. Morning is played by Théodore Pellerin, who shrugs on the disaffected retail worker persona as easily as he shrugs off his dependency on Oliver to feel purpose.
Russell’s not so interested in the origination of Matthew’s obsession – much like Baby Reindeer explored last year – but more in the transformation of indulgence into control. Across a mostly well-paced 100-minute runtime, Pellerin and Madekwe battle it out to hold the ship steady. Does Oliver decide whether Matthew stays or goes? Or does Matthew decide if Oliver’s worth staying for? Russell seems to reject labelling Matthew’s obsession and uses Oliver – and thus, the phenomenon of online fame – to study the true damaging potential of parasocial relationships.
It’s an ambitious debut and one that complements the MUBI acquisition well: its bold typography and titles are indicative of the laser-focused intentions of each member of Oliver’s entourage, whether set in stone or on the fringes. Having spoken about invested friendships made on set, it’s impressive to see the nuances of hatred, disgust and downright cringe flashing on Zack Fox and Havana Rose Liu’s faces as Pellerin’s Matthew weaves himself a new façade: not just a fan posing as a cool kid, but as a creative kindred soul to Oliver.
The transition from drama to thriller occurs almost exactly halfway through Lurker, when Oliver’s flippancy begins to irk Matthew. His attention is elsewhere, and Matthew’s impossible tolerance is pushed to the limit, leading to a change in tempo. The editing becomes choppier, the camcorder footage more haphazard, the smile on Matthew’s face more crazed. This lasts successfully up until the final third of the film, where perhaps too much power is piled onto Matthew’s plate at Oliver’s expense through a somewhat lazy twist.
Russell’s creation of Oliver’s enigmatic personality alongside a deep-dive into the disingenuous musician-slash-creative-slash-artist is let down at the final hurdle – Matthew strips his power down to its bare bones too easily after such a well-constructed road to his ridicule, and through a strangely vague montage of clips, at that. It’s an odd decision that threatens to throw the story off-course, but thanks to Pellerin’s awfully convincing performance, we’re not totally shaken off the scent.
There’s the makings of greatness in Russell’s commitment: crafting the sound of Oliver through full track releases, using the silliness of the LA effect to mock the creative process, and maybe even modern fame in the same vein. Although worlds apart tonally, this feels akin to the successes of Saturday Night: a young cast of early-stage wonders, excelling in the balance between tension and comedy. Still, Lurker is good, but not quite great, at getting that shift-in-your-seat feeling to sink in – and stay for quite a while after.
★★★ 1/2
Screening as part of the 2025 BFI London Film Festival on October 10th, 12th and 18th / In UK cinemas December 12th 2025 / Theodore Pellerin, Archie Madekwe, Zack Fox, Havana Rose Liu / Dir: Alex Russell / MUBI, Focus Features
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