A retail employee infiltrates the inner circle of an artist on the verge of stardom. As he gets closer to the budding music star, access and proximity become a matter of life and death.

‘Lurker’ follows Matthew (Théodore Pellerin), a young man working in a high-end clothing store who invents a way to insert himself into the inner circle of Oliver (Archie Madekwe), an up-and-coming pop star, initially positioning himself as a documentarian and joining Oliver’s crew under the guise of quietly capturing his rise. What begins as a small act of opportunism quickly grows into something more complicated, as access turns into influence, and the line between fan, collaborator and something far more unsettling starts to blur.

One of the film’s strengths is how fluid the power dynamics are, with the upper hand constantly shifting between the two central characters. At times Oliver seems firmly in control, casually indulging the attention that comes with rising fame, while at other moments it’s the interloper who appears to be pulling the strings, shaping situations to his advantage and behaving more erratically as his new ‘role’ in Oliver’s life is threatened. The push and pull between them is tense and unpredictable, and the film is smart enough to let that imbalance play out without spelling everything out.

The performances are a major part of why this works so well. Archie Madekwe is convincing as Oliver, not just as a pop star but as someone still figuring out who they are beneath the image, while Theodore Pellerin brings a quiet intensity that makes his character’s fixation feel both believable and deeply uncomfortable. The music, produced by Kenny Beats, is also a huge asset, grounding the film in a version of pop stardom that feels entirely plausible, and helping Oliver register as a real artist rather than a fictional character.

‘Lurker’ is very much a film about fame and obsession, and about how easily admiration can turn into something darker. It’s not a comfortable watch, but that’s very much the point, and as someone who enjoys films that are willing to make you feel uncomfortable, I found ‘Lurker’ to be a pretty engrossing watch.

Rating: 4/5

Directed By: Alex Russell

Starring: Théodore Pellerin, Archie Madekwe, Zack Fox, Havana Rose Liu, Wale Onayemi, Daniel Zolghadri and Sunny Suljic

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt13651462/