The phenomenon of fandom is amusing in the era of social media. You may easily get the impression that you know a celebrity and all of their pals if you spend enough time looking through their content. The topic of what might happen if a particular kind of fan got a foot in the door and what they may do to stay there is explored in the new movie Lurker, a Sundance, which opens in theaters on Friday.
Archie Madekwe’sWhen Oliver enters a hip Los Angeles clothes store, he has no idea what to expect. Oliver, a budding musician, appears to be used to receiving some level of attention everywhere he goes, with requests for photographs and autographs being standard procedure. Naturally, he is shocked when one of the staff members, Thodore Pellerin’s Matthew, doesn’t appear to recognize or care about him. Oliver quickly asks this individual to join his group after failing to recognize that it is a ruse.
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According to Pellerin, Matthew initially believes Oliver has a divinely granted position of fame and prosperity. He rapidly realizes that in Oliver’s world and his ego, he will have to surrender things in order to fulfill a specific function. Additionally, they are not dissimilar. Both of them are following a set of rules that Oliver wrote. Matthew has the ability to write the rules if he gains control.
A good screenplay and an inexperienced director
Alex Russell, whose own reputation is growing, is directing the movie for the first time. He won an Emmy for co-executive producing the Netflix series Beef and wrote Forks, which is regarded as one of the best episodes of The Bear.He devised the screenplay for Lurker as a kind of challenge for himself during COVID lockdowns, and it quickly became popular. Madekwe recalls being disappointed when he recorded himself to portray the hanger-on and didn’t hear back.
Russell wanted to meet Madekwe, according to a call from his agent a few years later. For Oliver, not for Matthew.
Madekwe said, “I had to completely rethink the film, the structure, and what it was about.” The idea of having to go see Alex and persuade him that I could portray a character like this was the most intimidating, though.
He didn’t have to worry so much. Russell had been working covertly behind the scenes, but Madekwe was unaware of it. One day, Russell noticed Madekwe in a coffee shop after someone suggested his name, and he spent twenty minutes observing him. This is Oliver, he concluded.
A delightful display of young artists
Being a first-time director working on an independent picture, when hiring and casting decisions are frequently made in a hurry, Russell was aware of the constraints he faced.
Russell stated, “I wanted to get actors that I thought were underappreciated.” Individuals who have the ability to do exceptionally well. After watching this film, viewers would think, “Wow, they really went up here.” If you’re creating your first film and don’t have a lot of money, that’s kind of where you can go above and beyond.
The entire group, which included Sunny Suljic, Havana Rose Liu, Zack Fox, and Daniel Zolghadri—faces you may recognize, but names you may not yet know—was not just his leads either. Although assembling it was challenging and subject to stringent time and money constraints, Russell claimed that Lurker’s experience was nevertheless charming.
“That’s only because I got really lucky with the casting and hiring decisions I made early on,” he remarked. It seems like everyone else must be extremely skilled at their jobs, and I’m just a kid with a screenplay.
He used a straightforward litmus test while directing the actors: Do I believe it?
Do I buy that? You’re looking at the monitor. Because, he added, everyone else will have to. Simply put, I thought my cast was excellent. No performance had to be forced on me.
Russell’s acquaintances in the music industry would frequently visit the set, adding a meta element to the off-camera moments.
According to Pellerin, there were moments when it didn’t feel much like the movie and instead felt more like a group of youthful creatives. There was a thriving music and film culture in Los Angeles. That was beneficial to me because it was more enjoyable than the intense humiliation in the film.
Many participants characterize the procedure as being particularly cooperative. In addition, Madekwe took on the role of producer, which was more than simply a title. In fact, he was involved in a number of significant creative choices, such as suggesting Suljic, with whom he had recently collaborated on a music video, as well as locating the film’s settings and portions of its soundtrack, which included the song “Love and Obsession,” written by Rex Orange County.
A fascinating thriller to appeal to the parasocial generation
“For now, it’s a really important film,” Madekwe stated. What is the relationship we have with strangers? That discussion, in my opinion, is fascinating and thrilling. Above all, though, I find it really thrilling to be at the start of Alex Russell’s career and to be investing in a director who I believe will continue to produce amazing pictures for a very long time.
The movie has certain similarities to what Russell refers to as compulsive thrillers, such as Black Swan and Whiplash. He pondered whether the drumming in Lurker was a form of social climbing.
The power dynamics between Matthew and Oliver are not limited to hangers-on and celebrities. Any group of friends could be affected.
According to Russell, you receive a text from your old friend and a new, dazzling acquaintance. Who should you text back first?
