BERLIN – Alex Russell’s debut film Lurker, presented at the Berlinale Special, questions what we are willing to sacrifice for the price of success. An American/Italian co-production (High Frequency Entertainment, Arts & Sciences, Twin Productions, MeMo Films) the film stars Canadian Theodore Pellin as Matthew, a man bored with his job, who manages to enter the inner circle of an emerging pop star, Oliver, known as “Bunny”, boasting of his new status as an indispensable member of the entourage. When he realizes how easy it is to replace him, and worse, that he is not as important as he thought, he is prepared to do anything to stay relevant to Oliver and his team.
Lurker is a film about celebrity, the fear of losing acquired status, and the star system that feeds on social media idolatry and obsession rather than entertainment. “I think Matthew puts the character of Oliver on an unattainable pedestal, at such a high level of status that he’s almost a god-like figure, as if there’s nothing higher,” says Theodore Pellin, “For some people, especially in American culture, there is nothing higher than celebrity worship.” Getting the opportunity to enter into a world so far removed from him is something he never thought possible; once in, he doesn’t want to waste his chance. Through this experience, however, he begins to notice the power mechanisms at play and to realize that Oliver is not actually a god, nor are the people surrounding him so very different from him.
“I think disillusionment starts to take hold in the character over time. And maybe there’s something where Oliver and Matthew are actually very similar and very close, but they’re just at opposite ends of the same spectrum.”
It was filmed after the pandemic in Los Angeles a location essential to the authenticity of the film, and now, notes the director, ravaged by fire: “We were really lucky, the timing played in our favour: it was the post-COVID protocols period, so we didn’t have to wear masks anymore. And we had perfect weather the whole time: it only rained on the weekends. I appreciate having had the opportunity to shoot in LA even more right now, considering that many of the locations were destroyed in the fires. The main house, for example, is completely gone. I’ve seen photos: it’s reduced to ashes. I don’t know what will happen to the future of filming in LA”.