Lurker

Matthew, working in a Los Angeles shop, meets Oliver, a rising pop musician, and manages to work his way into the circle. First he carries the camera, then he becomes indispensable, then he learns the hierarchy inside the group. As the closeness grows, so does the footage he holds. The film is not interested in fandom. It is interested in proximity converting into money and power: nobody in this circle is a friend, everyone is a function, and Matthew learns that faster than anyone. The film neither excuses him nor makes him a monster. The form is close and uneasy: phone footage, studio scenes, house parties and the constant sense of being recorded. It is Alex Russell's first feature. He came out of the writers' room on Dave and went on to write and produce on The Bear and Beef; he describes this film as a reckoning with his own surroundings. It premiered at Sundance in 2025, was acquired by Mubi and opened in America on 22 August 2025. Russell was nominated by the Directors Guild for a first feature, and the film also drew a Gotham nomination and four Independent Spirit nominations. Théodore Pellerin plays Matthew and Archie Madekwe plays Oliver. Who it is for: viewers who like psychological thrillers and films about the inside of a music scene. Who it is not for: anyone looking for someone to like. Nobody here is defensible and the tension runs on discomfort.