Lurker

Alex Russell wrote 'Lurker' during lockdown, almost as a personal challenge. By the time he got to shoot it he'd been through the writers' rooms of 'Beef' and 'The Bear', where he wrote 'Forks', one of the show's most acclaimed episodes. It's his feature directing debut, a psychological thriller about fame and the need to fit in that played Sundance, the Berlinale and the San Sebastián Film Festival.

Matthew works in a trendy clothing store in Los Angeles when Oliver, a musician on the rise, walks in. To catch his attention he plays an underrated song he loves over the shop speakers, and it works: he walks away with a backstage pass and soon he's inside the inner circle, camera in hand, documenting everything.

Oliver's friends aren't thrilled about the newcomer, but Matthew earns his place with the footage he shoots for the new album, quits his job and starts to build a following of his own online. Then someone he used to work with at the store, another fan, joins the group, and Matthew realises how easily he can be replaced. How far will he go to stay in?

Théodore Pellerin, seen in 'Beau Is Afraid' and 'Never Rarely Sometimes Always', plays Matthew. Archie Madekwe, Farleigh in 'Saltburn', had read for Matthew, but Russell says he spent twenty minutes watching him in a coffee shop and made up his mind: this was Oliver. As well as producing, he sings the songs Kenny Beats wrote for the character. Sunny Suljic, from 'Mid90s', Daniel Zolghadri, Havana Rose Liu and the comedian Zack Fox complete the cast. It was shot on 16mm, and Oliver's house in Altadena burned down in the January 2025 fires.

MUBI released it in the US on 22 August 2025, and it opened in the UK on 12 December. Critics loved it, singling out the unease it slowly builds and its two leads. In February 2026 it won the Independent Spirit Awards for Best First Feature and Best First Screenplay, with nominations for Pellerin and Madekwe too.

• Drama
• Thriller
• Music