34-year-old Alex Russell cut his teeth as a writer on Dave before writing and producing on both The Bear and Beef. Essentially, he’s had his hands in some of the most critically beloved shows of recent years, so it’s understandable he was afforded the chance to write and direct his first movie, Lurker.

It made a big impression at Sundance this past January: By early February, it was snapped up by Mubi for distribution. Now, as the film awaits its theatrical release this summer, keep reading to learn everything you need to know about Lurker before heading to the theater.

Plot

The official Sundance synopsis reads:

“A retail employee infiltrates the inner circle of an artist on the verge of stardom. As he gets closer to the budding music star, access and proximity become a matter of life and death.

A gripping slow-burn tale about the thin line between devoted fandom and dangerous obsession, Lurker fittingly worms its way under the viewer’s skin and echoes how the calculating Matthew (Théodore Pellerin) insinuates himself within Oliver’s (Archie Madekwe) inner circle. Forced to assume Matthew’s perspective, the audience is made complicit in the power plays and desperate measures he takes to retain his status when he finds his position in the entourage under threat.”

Russell also told Variety, “Obviously this is dramatized, and I don’t think I’ve actually seen any of the stuff in this movie [happen], but it’s within the realm of possibility. I’ve heard people say, ‘This is the realest thing ever,’ and I’ve also heard, ‘This is so unbelievable.’ And I’m like, then you don’t know this world. But I feel that you don’t have to have a specific understanding of this world to understand the dynamics at play.”

Cast

Théodore Pellerin and Archie Madekwe are in the lead roles, while rounding out the cast are Havana Rose Liu, Sunny Suljic, Zack Fox, Daniel Zolghadri, and Olawale Onayemi.

Russell told Variety of casting Madekwe:

“For Oliver, it was just so important that you felt both charisma and vulnerability. The movie would have been a little more flat if you just believe he’s an up-and-coming pop star and he’s aloof and whatever, but then we never get past that. But then when you get into the second half and you kind of expose some of his emotions, you really need an actor who can go there. And I kind of just felt that he could.”

He also said of Pellerin:

“His was actually the first tape I ever saw, coincidentally. And I was amazed by the humanity — maybe that sounds corny — but he’s so expressive and you can see so much in his face and what he’s thinking, and yet it’s a mystery. Like, you can see him calculating, but you’re not really sure what he’s going to do next and that is such a big part of the intrigue of this movie.”

Music

The movie has an original score by Kenny Beats, Dijon, Rex Orange County, and Archie Madekwe.

Russell told Variety, “We always wanted to work together on something like this, and it was so perfectly timed. He was so ready to score a movie. […] Kenny can just create any song in any genre at any time, so it was laughably shorthand when I was like, ‘Can you make a few songs for Archie?’ And two days later, the songs that were in the movie were done and I didn’t really have to explain anything. I was like, you know what kind of music he makes.”

Release Date

The film is set to hit theaters on August 22.

Trailer

Check out the Lurker trailer below.