Mubi will release Lurker, the psychological thriller and debut feature film from writer/director Alex Russell (The Bear, Beef), in North American theaters on August 22, 2025.

In the film, when a twenty-something retail clerk encounters a rising pop star, he takes the opportunity to edge his way into the in-crowd. But as the line between friend and fan blurs beyond recognition, access and proximity become a matter of life and death.

It stars Théodore Pellerin (Becoming Karl Lagerfeld, Franklin, Beau is Afraid), Archie Madekwe (Saltburn, Midsommar), Sunny Suljic (Mid90s), Havana Rose Liu (Bottoms, Hal & Harper), Zack Fox (Abbott Elementary, Pause with Sam Jay), and Daniel Zolghadri (Y2K, Eighth Grade).

Lurker received its World Premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, its International Premiere in the 2025 Berlinale, and is the Closing Night selection for 2025 New Directors/New Films.

The synopsis reads:

When twenty-something Los Angeles retail clerk and loner Matthew (Théodore Pellerin) encounters rising pop star Oliver (Saltburn’s Archie Madekwe), he takes the opportunity to edge his way into the in-crowd. But staying there isn’t easy.

With an entire entourage (Bottoms’ Havana Rose Liu, Abbott Elementary’s Zack Fox, Y2K’s Daniel Zolghadri, mid90s’ Sunny Suljic) vying for attention, Matthew must prove himself to Oliver as more than just a follower. As their bond grows strained and mainstream fame appears within reach, access and proximity become a matter of life and death.

Online fixation meets reality in this parasocial, paranoid cat-and-mouse film driven by star-making performances. With an incisive view to contemporary culture and a brilliant score from Kenny Beats (known for his work with Vince Staples), LURKER presents an exhilarating take on the music industry, the blurred line between friend and fan, and our universal search for validation.

Lurker was produced by Alex Orlovsky (His Three Daughters, Memory, Never Rarely Sometimes Always), Duncan Montgomery (His Three Daughters, Memory), Galen Core (Pet Shop Days, The Sweet East), Charlie McDowell (The One I Love, The Summer Book), Jack Selby (His Three Daughters), Marc Marrie (His Three Daughters), Francesco Melzi d’Eril (Bones and All, Suspiria), Olmo Schnabel (Pet Shop Days), and Archie Madekwe.