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Back in 2023, Archie Madekwe starred in Saltburn, a movie about a young adult played by Barry Keoghan (Dunkirk) who was drawn to the lavish, aristocratic lives of Madekwe’s character Farleigh and his peers, stopping at nothing to be part of the group. Although we are two years on from those events, it seems Madekwe has landed himself in a similar position again.
In Lurker, Madekwe plays a rising pop star simply named ‘Oliver’, who meets a retail clerk named Matthew (Theodore Pellerin). Matthew takes this opportunity to edge his way into the in-crowd, but as the line between friend and fan blurs beyond recognition, access and proximity become a matter of life and death. A meticulously paced thriller with excellent performances across the board, Lurker is a thought-provoking and unsettling debut feature with a compelling character study at its core.
Lurker is the type of movie that engrosses you and makes you feel uncomfortable all at once. It’s not the first movie to explore the blurred lines between fascination and obsession, exhibiting strange behaviors to get you where you want or overstepping the boundary from fan to friend, but it has many elements that make it stand out and feel fresh. The writing and direction from newcomer Alex Russell is outstanding, managing to deliver a thorough character study across its two leads whilst delving into intoxicating obsession, the allure of popularity and fame, and most importantly, finding yourself and deciding how you want to appear to the world. It’s both incredibly tense from start to finish and darkly funny, with some twisted humor injected into the script that makes you feel guilty for laughing.
The first two acts are slow in approach, which is more than complimentary, as they take time to explore the themes, expand the character arcs, and, most notably, descend into madness. The final act provides an interesting climax that sticks the landing and refrains from going too far with the shock factor. All this is complemented perfectly by putting us on the outskirts of the LA music scene, with genuinely enjoyable songs throughout that make Lurker a fun, fascinating watch. As far as Russell is concerned, there’s plenty more gas in the tank when it comes to obsession thrillers.
The best, most memorable element of Lurker is easily the performances. Starring as our awkward, aspiring social butterfly is Theodore Pellerin, who nails the eerie yet likable nature of his character, Matthew, to a tee. Knowing just what to do in order to get Oliver to like him, but coming dangerously close to overstepping the mark more than once, Pellerin makes it so easy for the audience to believe he has a place within this group and that he’ll get what he wants. As his behaviors become increasingly crazy, Pellerin really gets to flex his range, creating a character that’s both comfortably nuanced and uncomfortably headstrong all at once.
Our up-and-coming pop star Oliver is played tremendously well by Archie Madekwe, who delivers perhaps his most emotional turn yet. Not only is Oliver trying hard to make it in the music industry, but his young age and lack of experience mean he’s yet to find his identity. Wanting to come across as authentic works as a bonus to Matthew, as his lack of polished skills when it comes to music videography and photography makes Oliver seem like ‘one of us’.
However, as those lines begin the blur, and Matthew starts to emit behaviors that worry Oliver, their friendship may be more forced and fake than it seems. Madekwe and Pellerin work exceptionally well together, and although they’ve both been working for quite some time, they are going to be admired even further after their work within Lurker. Notable performances are also given by Havana Rose Liu (Bottoms) and Sunny Suljic (The Killing of a Sacred Deer).
Lurker may not boast an entirely new plot or a fast-paced, action-packed ride, but it will certainly make you believe it does due to the fantastic execution. The performances are bound to entice you from the get-go, and the slow yet entertaining descent into obsession will keep you invested. Enjoyable music, a whip-sharp script, and an unsettling tone are the icing on the cake of what steadily becomes a tense, engaging, and anxiety-inducing drama thriller.
Grade: B
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