A Stan Is Born

Lurker (Alex Russell, 2025)

One of my favourite books is John Ronson’s The Psychopath Test. An absorbing read that provides collective examples of psychopathy within human society; including cases amongst corporate and governmental sectors. A defining constant in all the cases noted, is the lack of genuine empathy a psychopath exhibits; an obvious sign in identifying a wolf in sheep's clothing. (The smartest ones attempt to feign it, however.) Writer and director Alex Russell’s debut feature Lurker (2025), a film dealing with celebrity obsession and the infiltration of the sycophantic inner circle of an emergent pop musician, automatically brought me back to Ronson's book.

Lurker follows Matt Morning (Théodore Pellerin), a young retail clerk at a Los Angeles clothing store frequented by local celebrities. A chance encounter occurs when Oliver (Archie Madekwe), a British singer, visits and is impressed by Matt’s choice of song playing in the shop. The two strike up a friendship which leads to Matt being invited to the singer’s concert and spending time backstage with him. It is not long before Matt is doing menial chores for Oliver in his Los Angeles apartment; including catering to the singer’s sceptical entourage. Thus Russell’s drama follows Matt’s social ascent through the ranks of Oliver’s inner circle and becoming something of a celebrity himself.

In one instance, Oliver is filming a sheep for his latest music video. Noah (Daniel Zolghadri), the videographer has run out of battery power for his camera despite being certain he had packed an extra battery pack. Matt conveniently has his own camcorder and offers advice on how to shoot it and integrate it with the existing footage. This was clearly intentional sabotage by Matt, but proved beneficial for the protagonist as it elevated his social standing within Oliver’s hierarchy.

The music video itself serves as a direct metaphor between celebrity and fandom. Matt’s camcorder is mounted on the sheep which provides its perspective of Oliver; effectively satirising fans as herdlike suckers. A fitting comparison given the deification of celebrities in the modern era.

However, Jamie (Sunny Suljic), a work colleague from the clothing store, disrupts the social climb. He asks Matt if can attend one of Oliver’s parties and subsequently gains entry to the star’s circle. Jealousy arises when Jamie receives more attention than Matt. During a London concert tour, Matt’s psychopathy becomes more than evident when he injures Jamie during a photo shoot. Consequently, he is expelled from Oliver’s circle and returns to L.A. To regain his position, Matt resorts to unethical methods, including providing backstage passes and spiking the drinks of two underage girls. The after-party being unknowingly recorded with cameras installed in Oliver’s house. This situation creates a blackmail scenario where Matt exerts control over the pop star.

The power shift in the film’s final act occasionally approaches psychological thriller territory, producing genuinely tense scenes. A notable example is the scene in which Oliver enters Matt’s room to retrieve the incriminating footage on a SSD. This sequence exemplifies the strained nature of their relationship being taken to an extreme with an unexpected and awkward homoerotic wrestling scene. WTF?

A low-fi narrative exploring themes of cliques, loneliness and parasocial relationships, Lurker examines the lengths an obsessive individual would go to find a sense of belonging. While the film is not new territory, as evidenced by the 2023 film Saltburn (also featuring Archie Madekwe) which explored similar themes in the context of class, Alex Russell’s work is more nuanced and less exaggerated than Emerald Fennell’s. In contrast, Lurker is more grounded in reality and makes a parasitic individual like Matt more believable as a character existing in our world. Additionally, Matt Morning makes for a good fit as the manipulative little brother of the ghoulish Louis Bloom.

The lyrics in Oliver’s latest music video provide a contrasting perspective, illustrating the chilling conclusion that love and obsession are synonymous for the celebrity who craves adulation. This creates an unhealthy symbiotic relationship between star and fans. Consequently, much like the film’s many awkward scenes, the message lingers long after the credits roll.

Perhaps the most intentionally cringeworthy film released this year; a noteworthy achievement given Nicolas Cage’s hell in The Surfer. More significantly, it marks an impressive feature debut for writer and director Alex Russell. Primarily targeted at Gen Z with crossover appeal, Lurker is a worthy standout this year.