LURKER: You Don't Need a Friend Like Matthew

LURKER (Blu-ray)

2025 / 100 min

MUBI

Review by Princess Pepper😺

Sometimes it pays to stick with a movie, even if you’re tempted to shut it off because it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. That’s how I felt about Lurker. Not only was the first act meandering, the two main characters weren’t anyone I felt prepared to spend 100 minutes with. And even as the plot began to develop, I assumed this was gonna be yet another “thriller” about a crazed fan and the pitfalls of fame.

To a certain extent, Lurker is indeed about a crazed fan. Matthew (Theodore Pellerin) is a seemingly laconic clothing store employee who’s unexpectedly befriended by rising pop star Oliver (Archie Madekwe). He’s invited to a show, and soon afterwards, becomes part of Oliver’s entourage…first as kind of a gopher, but later asserting himself as a documentarian, even making creative suggestions regarding Oliver’s music videos. In the process, Matthew becomes something of a social media celebrity himself.

However, when Matthew’s co-worker, Jamie (Sunny Suljic), is also embraced by Oliver and his crew, he grows increasingly jealous and resentful. Then following an incident in which Matthew intentionally injures Jamie during a video shoot, he’s ostracized and abandoned. Here’s where Lurker takes an unexpected narrative turn. Matthew’s continued obsession with Oliver doesn’t lead to violent revenge. Not only is he desperate to cling to his new-found fame, he still considers Oliver a friend. So instead, he blackmails Oliver into letting him continue making the documentary, at which time Matthew takes it upon himself to make most of the artist’s decisions.

Matthew shares his collection of cat videos.

Matthew is generally an off-putting character to begin with, but as he comes out of his shell (so to speak), he grows increasingly unnerving, in both his words and actions. Hence, Lurker turns into an uncomfortable viewing experience. We become appalled by the situation - especially Matthew’s sudden arrogance - but like witnessing a terrible car accident, it’s difficult to look away. The narrative surprises don’t end there, either…Lurker concludes on an ambiguous note that might be a little maddening, but is effective nonetheless. 

Lurker ends up being morbidly fascinating, with a main character whose behavior drives the unpredictable story into dark places. It isn’t unnecessarily a “fun” film, but like the recent black comedy, Friendship, we feel compelled to see it through. Once is probably enough for me, though. I don’t think I’d want to spend more time with Matthew than I already have.