Lurker (2025) Dir Alex Russell, Universal Pictures ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review by Matthew Alicoon

Lurker (2025)

Dir Alex Russell

Universal Pictures

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review by Matthew Alicoon

Running Time: 100 Minutes

“A psychologically precise interrogation on the true cost of visibility and fame.”

Lurker follows retail employer Matthew Morning (Théodore Pellerin), as he infiltrates the life of an uprising artist Oliver (Archie Madekwe) who is on the verge of stardom. As Matthew becomes obsessed into Oliver’s entourage, the jealousy leads to escalations of a dangerous power balance between the two characters.

Lurker announces itself as one of the most intellectually challenging and rigorous thrillers in recent years. Alex Russell marks his directorial debut with a strikingly assured piece of filmmaking. From the outset, the ingenious camera work positions you as a silent literal “lurker”, observing conversations from a disquieting remove, feeling like you are on the outside looking in at a conversation. The film turns an observative nature into an intrusive nature. Parts of the film are shot on 16mm film from cinematographer Pat Scola, with an immersive texture that carries invasive intimacy. The skilfulness of the close-up shots of Oliver and Matthew, paint their fractured relationship exquisitely, as it really is defined by imbalance and the unspoken truth. Lurker initially presents itself as an obsession based thriller, that quietly subverts your expectations. The film is truly a meticulous exploration into fan culture and what the price of celebrity fame / visibility is. Alex Russell’s biggest confidence lies within resistance, as the film withholds its true motives until the closing moments, allowing to preserve its greatest narrative assets.

Théodore Pellerin is utterly spellbinding as Matthew Morning, as he carefully resists any archetypal portrayal of a psychopath. Pellerin brings a sense of belongingness to Matthew, truly embodying the sense of someone who needs to be absorbed into Oliver’s orbit, allowing us to understand his characters’ plea for attention. One of the critical essences is the behaviour is unsettling precisely because it is recognisable. Archie Madekwe is equally compelling as Oliver, having to maintain a sense of sustained control as a form of quiet armour, gradually revealing a precise awareness of what power Oliver truly holds. Their dynamic is rich with psychological complexity, most thought-provokingly realised in a radio-studio sequence. Lurker becomes a multi-faceted study of artistic creation with what an artist needs versus what they want, alongside the people an artist enshrouds around them. The tension between the characters is consistently oppressive. Madekwe’s musical ability is utterly terrific, with songs that feel eerie and atmospherically enriched. The songs help to harmonise an extension of the film’s visual language eloquently, becoming a cohesive sense of unease and chaos.

The film’s final act is audacious in its refusal to offer comfort or clarity, making you reconsider what the true purpose of the film was. Rather than resolving its central conflict between our male leads, Lurker daringly asks now who prevailed but what does victory even mean. What initially began with the familiar contours of an obsession based film, gradually blurs the boundaries between fandom, fixation and self-recognition. The film amalgamates into something far more troubling with its narrative shift. Russell’s screenplay proves remarkably layered, sidestepping the genre’s familiar narrative traps in favour of tremendous moral ambiguity. The originality of Lurker lies in its precise, sharp and purposeful nature of every narrative decision.

Lurker’s brilliance lies within the notion of agency: who is leading and who is following?. The film is anchored by two spectacular lead performances with a second half that goes against expectations, as the story offers one of the most perceptive examinations in recent cinema focusing on the human need for validation. By anchoring the narrative so firmly to Matthew’s perspective, it offers a growing compulsion to re-examine the film from Oliver’s position. Lurker is a film that will stay with you beyond its final frame. This is independent genre filmmaking of rare conviction. One of the best directorial debuts I have ever seen.

Original Cinema is Back!.

Cast

Théodore Pellerin as Matthew Morning

Archie Madekwe as Oliver

Zack Fox as Swett

Havana Rose Liu as Shai

Wale Onayemi as Bowen

Daniel Zolghadri as Noah

Sunny Suljic as Jamie

Crew

Director – Alex Russell

Screenwriter – Alex Russell

Producers - Alex Orlovsky, Duncan Montgomery, Jack Selby, Galen Core, Olmo Schnabel, Francesco Melzi D'Eril, Marc Marrie, Charlie McDowell & Archie Madekwe.

Cinematographer – Pat Scola

Editor – David Kashevaroff

Music – Kenneth Blume