Lurker
Lurker
Starring Theodore Pellerin, Archie Madekwe, Zack Fox, Havana Rose Liu
Directed by Alex Russell
Matthew Morning (Theodore Pellerin) lives in Los Angeles with his grandmother, has very few friends, and works at a dead-end job at a fashionable boutique. Seeing his life is nowhere near what he expected it to be, he's shocked to see Oliver (Archie Madekwe) - an up-and-coming singer - come into the store. He immediately plays a song that he knows Oliver loves from his Instagram, and acts like he has no idea who he is. Oliver invites him to his show because he feels that Matthew will be the only one who will "get" his music unlike his entourage, and Matthew readily accepts.
Immediately Matthew is drawn to the fame that Oliver brings, and integrates himself into his entourage including his childhood friend Swett (Zack Fox), manager Shai (Havana Rose Liu), and his filmmaker Noah (Daniel Zolghadri). Oliver's friends are wary of Matthew and treat him like the house denmother until Matthew proves himself to Oliver as a vidographer, and he brings Matthew on to film a documentary on his life, to the chagrin of Noah. Matthew becomes more and more infatuated with Oliver and his life, and sets up events to make himself more and more necessary in Oliver's life to the point where he resorts to violence, threatening his standing in Oliver's group but maintaining an upper hand to keep himself on top of his game.
"Lurker" is a fascinating movie that is set inside the world of celebrity, but could easily take place in any everyday situation. Matthew is a fascinating character study on what happens when someone's obsession turns self-destructive, and how it affects everyone around him - and honestly it's something I've seen and experienced in my own life, both from other people and myself as well when I was a lot younger and a lot stupider, only heightened. It shows what happens when everything you ever want is within your grasp, and proving there's no boundaries you won't cross to keep it - and in that sense, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy that you'll probably lose it all.
Director Alex Russell does an excellent job at establishing dread and tension from the get-go and never lets up, leaving every interaction with Matthew one where you find yourself almost hiding your eyes so you don't see the cringe and manipulation he pulls on Oliver, but the movie goes even deeper than that. Oliver is surrounded by yes-men who he can't fully trust, but feels he can trust Matthew explicitly - but even he uses that to his advantage, thinking he can control Matthew when in reality Matthew is pulling all the strings. It's a tete-a-tete that has mutually beneficial outcomes but also mutually beneficial destruction for both men, or could end in an emotionally manipulative stalemate where no one really wins, but no one really loses either.
Theodore Pellerin gives a star-worthy performance as Matthew here, giving vibes comparable to Jake Gyllenhaal's "Nightcrawler" in all the amazing ways. He seems aloof and innocent, but we see the darker side of his obsession with finding a purpose, and how it shapes his worldview and how he sees others. He never considers Oliver a friend, but rather a means to finding a way to make a world for himself. He replaces love with obsession, wanting something more than his stationed lot in life, feeling that he's destined for greater things and steps over everyone to get there. Yet he's not without flaws, and sometimes his house of cards come tumbling down, and he has to find a way to get back on top - and this is where the movie for a bit seems to get out of Russell's control and spirals further down the rabbit hole than seemingly intended, but also serves as another of the movie's strengths.
Archie Madekwe is given a little less to work with, but magnifies his performance to stellar levels. He could've been the generic artist who is standoffish and snobby, but we see a vulnerability to Oliver that we don't normally do in movies like this - but also a calculated risk, as Oliver uses Matthew because he feels Matthew is being real with him, when in reality he's just using Oliver for his own gain. Yet, to that effect, Oliver uses Matthew as well - and it's a wonderful back and forth that showcases the strengths of both the actors.
Just when you expect "Lurker" to take a predictable turn, it turns itself on its heel and throws something completely unexpected at the viewer, with characters making odd decisions that, to us, doesn't make sense - but in the world of the movie, it makes all the twisted sense in the world. It's an uncomfortable movie to watch in all the right ways, and it will subtly crawl into your subconscious and make you think about it long after it ends.
The Score: A+
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