LURKER & EVERY HEAVY THING [Fantasia International Film Festival 2025]

Théodore Pellerin as MATTHEW in LURKER

LURKER, directed by Alex Russell

What's the difference between love and obsession? What's the difference between a fan and a friend? Apparently, when it comes to rising musical star, Oliver (Archie Madekwe), the lines are truly blurred.

In the cinematic tradition of ALL ABOUT EVE, THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY, and SALBURN, a parasitic social climber gains influence through an unusual propensity for hanging around.

In the case of LURKER, the parasite is Matthew (Théodore Pellerin), an average looking guy who works at a clothing store where Oliver sometimes shops. Although Matthew lacks any inherent charisma, some innate part of him understands social dynamics enough to be noticed by the one person who counts. His nonchalance and quick decision to queue up a song he knows to be one of Oliver's favorites earns him a personal invite to the concert that evening.

Archie Madekwe as OLIVER in LURKER

 "Make yourself useful if you want to hang around," advises Oliver's manager Shai (Havana Rose Liu), and so, Matthew begins shooting footage for a documentary that Oliver envisions will launch his career. But Matthew quickly realizes that for Oliver, he's just the flavor of the week. Eventually, everyone is shown the exit. The story could have ended with Oliver's dismissal of Matthew and been a semi-interesting tale of a narcissistic relationship cycle gone bad – a reminder to invest in friends who don't see you as inferior. But that's not the story director and writer Alex Russell (BEEF; THE BEAR) wants to spread. For Matthew isn't content to slide out the door. 

Matthew's ability to gain power over those that view him as inferior actually shows up fairly early in the movie. When he shows up before the concert, he enters the green room and finds Oliver and a group of his friends sitting with their pants down around their ankles, boxers on. What plays out is a long-standing tradition of male hazing that exists in friendships that rely on power dynamics instead of mutual respect. They inform him that he should also pull his pants down and do likewise. At first he complies, eager to please, and realizes they are all pranking him just to see what he would do. The bullying continues until Matthew sizes up the situation and flips the script. He pulls both his pants and boxers down, earning their surprise and respect. We see that as quiet as Mathew is, he's not one to sit down and do as he's told. They should have paid attention then.

Archie Madekwe as OLIVER, Théodore Pellerin as MATTHEW in LURKER

  

The cinematography alternates mostly between the fuzzy, shaky footage shot by Matthew on his handheld camera and the soft, warm, and steady scenes shot in the third person POV of the external viewer. The latter reflects the romantic nature of their relationship. While not necessarily sexual, LURKER is definitely a love story. Matthew and Oliver meet, fall in love in the way guys do, have a fight, and then have to adjust their impressions of each other.

No one respects a parasite, but in some cases parasites prove themselves to be indispensable. Only when they've proven they add something irreplaceable does the power change. Once Matthew finds his level of power, Oliver can't get rid of him and maybe doesn't want to. This psychological cat-and-mouse is a devious delight from start to finish. From the smallest side character to the two leads, each actor is at the top of their game and plays a role in painting a picture of the risks and rewards of being part of a celebrity's entourage. Archie Madekwe, who stole the show in SALTBURN playing the role of Felix's poor American cousin Farleigh, gets his opportunity to be the center of the social universe in LURKER. Truth be told, I always thought he was born to play a leading role. His delicate features and commanding presence definitely make an impression whenever he's on screen. Théodore Pellerin is equally excellent as the less flashy Matthew. At first glance he fades into the background, but like Anthony Perkins in PSYCHO, underneath the quiet demeanor lies an intensity and commitment to protect what's his.

Screening in its World Premiere during Fantasia Film Fest 2025 in the Selection 2025 section. See film details page for more information. 

Final score: 4 out of 5

Barbara Crampton as WHITNEY BLUEWILL in EVERY HEAVY THING

EVERY HEAVY THING, directed by Mickey Reece

Like in LURKER, EVERY HEAVY THING centers on an obsessive relationship that forms between two men – but one of them is a tech-savvy serial killer terrorizing the residents of the fictional Oklahoma town called Hightown City. The city lives in terror as local authorities keep finding the corpses of dead women who have been sexually assaulted and sodomized.

Joe (Josh Fadem) is an ordinary schlub with a pot belly and a job in advertising sales for the last alt-weekly in the state. His girlfriend Lux (Tipper Newton) works long hours at her job in healthcare, so Joe often works late. His dull world comes alive when he becomes the unlucky witness to one of the murders. The killer named William (James Urbaniak) reveals himself to Joe, threatening to hurt Joe and those he loves if he breaks their cone of silence. He will be able to watch everything that Joe does.

Mickey Reece has a reputation at Fantasia and other genre festivals for his unusual blend of macabre and satire. He has a talent for borrowing from many influences and yet making an end product that feels fresh. His horror film AGNES started out a chaotic satire about the Catholic church's history with exorcism and ended as a quiet, thoughtful meditation on faith and finding God. Here he blends the subgenres of giallo slasher, neo-noir, and techno-thriiller but lightens the darkness associated with those stories with a relatable and wry sense of humor.

Tipper Newton as LUX, Josh Fadem as JOE in EVERY HEAVY THING

 Despite this being a story about a serial killer, Reece spends little time on how and why William kills the women he does. Rather the focus is on how technology impacts the places we live and the people who reside there. Hightown is a city popping with technological promise. Through various radio broadcasts, we learn about the emerging tools being used there to usher in the wave of the future. Into this promise of high-tech possibility and vaporware, we find Joe and William. William uses technology to manipulate and exert mind control over his victims. This is where he finds his power. But once he meets Joe and experiences a form of being known, he begins to obsess over his connection to him. He seems to view Joe as a friend and confidante. Without saying this explicitly, Reece seems to be bringing out a dire truth regarding how technology distances from each other. In a tech-savvy world, the one commodity we can't buy is intimacy. And, after all, what is intimacy but knowing and being known? Joe himself has to really on his personal connections to help him out of this mess, and that's something William, with all his power, doesn't have. 

EVERY HEAVY THING uses a mixed-media format, with the main plot peppered with news and radio broadcast, magazine covers, and print publications. These track the events going down in the community while Joe tries to avoid telling anyone what he has observed. Cinematographer Samuel Calvin paints the scenes in cool blues and greens. This is a film shot mostly at night that demonstrates the unease that time of day can produce. Editor Lucille Gable sews together the footage, combining the surreal, pop art-inspired dreamscapes that haunt Joe's dreams and the waking nightmares he lives trying to keep an impossible secret. The sound design includes static and high frequencies that hint at connection being made through cyberspace.

For a quirky and clever cautionary tale about the devices that may be spying on you, try EVERY HEAVY THING.

Screening in its Canadian Premiere during Fantasia Film Fest 2025 in the Underground section. See film details page for more information. 

Final score: 3 out of 5