Lurker

Sundance, Berlin, Sydney and Fantasia Film Festivals favourite, the engrossing directorial debut of TV producer and screenwriter Alex Russell (The Bear; Beef) collides the celebrity jealousies of All About Eve and Ingrid Goes West with the obsessive fixation of Saltburn (also starring Archie Madekwe).

A cunning wannabe enters the orbit of an ascendant celebrity in this thrillingly tense debut about the hunger for – and hollowness of – stardom.

In a chance meeting in a clothing store, geeky shop attendant Matthew manages to charm Oliver, a pop star on the cusp of greatness. He quickly finds himself invited to his inner circle, where the musician’s entourage – manager Shai, filmmaker-on-retainer Noah, sound engineer Bowen and long-time pal Swett – are immediately suspicious of this interloper’s presence. Despite their cattiness, Matthew gradually ingratiates himself with Oliver, usurping Noah’s role as personal documentarian. At Oliver’s side, he finally feels like a somebody… and he’s not going to let anyone, or anything, take away his spotlight.

Backed by a stand-out supporting cast who convincingly portray the territoriality of A-list circles, Madekwe deftly reveals Oliver’s veiled yet vulnerable egocentrism, while Théodore Pellerin (Never Rarely Sometimes Always) unnervingly embodies Matthew’s calculated desperation. With dynamic lensing by DOP Pat Scola (Sing Sing), Lurker is a striking, shrewd critique of exploitation and superficiality in the entertainment world that shows there are no winners in the battle for fame.

Screening at Luna Leederville from November 27.