★★★½ (3½ out of 4)
Obsession is a great subject for a psychological thriller. And “Lurker,” the pow directorial debut of writer Alex Russell (“The Bear”) is great in all the ways that count: tense, twisted and alert to the darker nuances of attraction. Archie Madekwe, a standout as the American cousin in “Saltburn,” stars as Oliver, a pop star on the rise who’s not there yet but knows how to maneuver his way around fans who get too close.
But when Oliver swans into a hip Los Angeles clothing store, he doesn’t get a creepy vibe from the clerkish Matthew (Théodore Pellerin), who’s not one for coming on too strong like his co-worker Jamie (Sunny Suljic). Matthew hangs back, putting the right song on the store speakers, not one of Oliver’s but one he knows Oliver likes.
A connection is made, along with an invite to show up at Oliver’s rental in the Hollywood Hills. They’re not alone. Oliver is rarely alone. Matthew discovers a small posse is present. There’s Oliver’s close pal Sweet (Zack Fox), his sharp-eyed manager Shai (Havana Rose Liu), and his suspicious videographer Noah (Daniel Zolghadri).
[Director Alex]Russell intuitively understands that in a world dominated by social media, we are all lurkers stalking a connection to fame that isn’t real.
Matthew plays it cool or tries to—hell, he lives with his grandmother. But he risks pulling out a video camera to record Oliver fooling around on a bike. Later, when Oliver sees the footage, he tells Noah to put the kid on the team. He has an eye, you see.
The entourage is not amused. But Oliver sees an opportunity. So does pal Jamie, a wannabe fashion designer who can’t see her future in retail. She also tries playing Oliver, much to Matthew’s irritation and possibly worse.
Matthew’s game is to make himself indispensable to Oliver. And Oliver lets him, turning “Lurker” into a modern-day “All About Eve” set in the music industry. Russell makes it work in tandem with ace cinematographer Pat Scola (“Sing Sing”). It’s as if Matthew is taking over Oliver’s personality and vice versa. The effect is chilling.
Madekwe lets us see the insecurities invading Oliver, whose nightmare is being a one-hit wonder. Matthew tells him all the right things with a public smile that fades into something darker when he’s caught off-guard. Pellerin (“Never Rarely Sometimes Always”) is scarily effective at showing Matthew’s two sides—loyal and anything but.
Fan fixation isn’t a new subject for movies, but Russell is hunting bigger game. In looking at the imbalance of power in the pecking order of fame, he holds up a dark mirror to the extremes that drive us all. Russell intuitively understands that in a world dominated by social media, we are all lurkers stalking a connection to fame that isn’t real.
It’s when reality does intrude into the lives of Oliver and Matthew that the film tips the balance into violence, real and imagined. Powered by hypnotic and haunting performances from Madekwe and Pellerin who trade the roles of pawn and king with unnerving ease, “Lurker” raises the teasing possibility that the last thing fame requires in a world of illusion is genuine talent.