Lurker, the striking debut feature from writer-director Alex Russell, is a fresh and hugely impressive debut. It announces a filmmaker who understands restraint visually, narratively, and tonally.
The film centres on Matthew (Théodore Pellerin), a twentysomething retail worker whose quiet obsessiveness leads him into the inner orbit of rising pop star Oliver (Saltburn’s Archie Madekwe). Matthew inserts himself into Oliver’s world by pretending not to be aware of his notability as a rising star, gradually befriending him while dodging the derision of the young singer’s entourage.
As Matthew earns a place as an unofficial documentarian, filming more and more of Oliver’s life, we watch him slide from awkward hanger-on to someone altogether more sinister. Pellerin plays Matthew with a beautifully sedate, unfussy stillness, the kind that makes each lingering glance feel like a warning. Madekwe counters with an effortless cool and sincerity throughout, making his life feel like something Matthew cannot help but be a part of.
Handheld cameras, uneven lighting, and minimally processed sound create the impression of a world captured in passing. This DIY feel suits the film’s themes, allowing Russell to blur the line between documentary-style immediacy and psychological thriller. Rather than overload the film with stylistic gimmicks, he leans into simplicity: long takes, minimal music, naturalistic dialogue. The result is a creeping, clammy suspense that grows not from jump-scares or genre spectacle but from the discomfort of watching someone who never quite leaves a room when he should.
More broadly, Lurker examines obsession without resorting to melodrama. Russell avoids easy commentary about fame or influencer culture, focusing instead on the intimate, unsettling dynamics between people who want to be seen and those who need to be needed. The film recalls 90s psycho-thrillers but strips away their heightened theatrics, grounding menace in everyday interactions and small social missteps. Its refusal to exaggerate—both in performance and in style—makes the unravelling feel all the more real.
This is a confident, quietly unnerving debut, bolstered by restrained performances and a purposeful lo-fi aesthetic. Its DIY texture and measured pacing won’t be for everyone, but its psychological precision and slow-burn tension make it a compelling four-star experience.
