The movie Lurker will have you pondering about what celebrities do to get there, while testing your own morals.
Musician Oliver (Archie Madekwe) is on the crest of making it. He’s got the look, he’s got the pop sound, he’s got the Instagram followers. Life is good.
One day Oliver pops into a trendy clothing store and after a few minutes one of his favourite tracks comes on. Stunned that someone else likes the same fairly obscure track he asks who put it on. That would be shop attendant Matthew (Theodore Pellerin). The two strike up an unlikely friendship as Matthew appears unaware of who Oliver is. Thrilled to find someone who appears to speak the truth, Oliver invites Matthew into his inner circle. What Oliver doesn’t know is that Matthew is a fan and seeing Oliver enter the store he quickly put the track on.
When Matthew first encounters Olivers entourage he’s treated like a new toy by the others and is put to work cleaning up after them. The only female in the group suggests that if he wants to stay around, he needs to make himself indispensable. Over time Matthew does just that and his photographic skills see him find a spot on the team, much to the chagrin of the current videographer.
Charged with making a fly-on-the-wall video, Matthew explores Olivers earlier life uncovering absent parents and a belief that now he gets to decide who’s in his family and who’s out.
Matthew’s life expands well beyond living with his grandmother and working in a store. His online following skyrockets as he embraces his own level of celebrity. But he soon finds out that that life is totally dependent on the good will of Oliver. How far will he go to maintain his place?
As the final twists played out, I pondered:
- The movie is an interesting look at obsession, stardom, celebrity and jealousy;
- Madekwe has the rockstar charisma down and adds a side order of vulnerability, making him immensely loveable;
- Pellerin matches him growing from a geeky loser to a calculating egotist;
- The movie provides insights into the hierarchy of entourage and the difference between love and obsession;
- It takes a long time to get to the payoff, the ending will leave you pondering what some real life celebrities have done to get to the top. It will also have you questioning your own values as you grapple with who to root for in the end.
For more information go to Luna Cinemas from November 27.
