'Lurker' Takes Home Best First Feature, First Screenplay At Independent Spirit Awards

Summary

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Podcast Summary: "Lurker" Takes Home Best First Feature, First Screenplay At Independent Spirit Awards

Podcast: All Of It
Host: Alison Stewart (WNYC)
Date: February 16, 2026

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Overview

This episode of All Of It explores the critically acclaimed independent film Lurker, which recently won Best First Feature and Best First Screenplay at the Independent Spirit Awards. Host Alison Stewart is joined by Lurker's writer/director Alex Russell and lead actor Theodore Pellerin. Their conversation delves into the film’s psychological themes of belonging and loneliness, the creative process behind character development, and the realities of fame and financial precarity in the entertainment industry.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Nature of Fame and Social Gravity

• Fame as Setting vs. Theme:

  • Alex Russell emphasizes that while the movie is set in the world of rising fame, it’s really about inherent dynamics of group socialization and belonging.
  • Quote:

    "I wasn't thinking that much about fame. I was thinking more about sort of the gravity of a person... fame was sort of almost like a setting, an extreme version of all this."
    — Alex Russell [02:19]

  • He compares the dynamic to that within any friend group, noting that these “icky facets of human existence” are both funny and insightful.

• Parasocial Relationships:

  • The film focuses on Matthew, a fan, who gradually insinuates himself into the life of Oliver, a rising singer, revealing how the search for belonging can become toxic.

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2. Character Motivation and Development

• Matthew’s Desire to Belong:

  • Theodore Pellerin describes his character as fundamentally seeking acceptance, initially approaching Oliver with an almost childlike earnestness despite manipulating circumstances.
  • Quote:

    "I really see him as kind of just a child trying to make friends in quite a very honest way... It was always about just really wanting to belong to something and just the fear of being rejected."
    — Theodore Pellerin [04:01]

• Shifting Perceptions:

  • Theodore explains Matthew’s evolution from idolizing Oliver to seeing him as another flawed individual, which shifts the power dynamic.
  • Quote:

    "He goes through a disillusionment... They're just at a different place. So I think I kind of see them on the same spectrum, just at different ends of it."
    — Theodore Pellerin [11:17]

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3. Genesis and Writing Process

• Writing During Quarantine:
  • Alex began writing the script with a feeling, not a fixed theme, during quarantine—seeking to unpack emotions such as loneliness, community, and the pursuit of recognition in Los Angeles.
  • Quote:

    "I more so just had a feeling inside me that I wanted to explore and sort of purge and extract and unravel, and I knew that themes would come out of that..."
    — Alex Russell [05:08]

  • He describes LA as a place full of people seeking to belong, yet “there is no way to do that” because fame is “trying to be known and seen by an infinite quantity.”
  • Memorable moment: Alison responds, “Preach. You were talking to the choir.” [07:14]

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4. Directing and Approach to Filmmaking

• Directorial Reluctance & Style:
  • Despite writing the script, Alex did not initially plan to direct but was convinced by collaborating producers. He reflects on the importance of specificity in tone, authenticity in details, and his desire for hyper-intentionality with uncomfortable, “cringe” humor and dynamics.
  • Quote:

    "I would have never directed the movie if someone else really wanted to do it... a lot of what makes the movie work comes down to very small choices... the sort of cringe nature of what makes people uncomfortable... that is all hyper intentional."
    — Alex Russell [08:53]

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5. Class and Financial Precarity in the Story

• Subtle Social Positions:
  • Both Oliver and his group operate in a world of temporary, unstable success—none of them are truly secure, and everyone is grasping at something tenuous.
  • Quote:

    "Oliver's not in like a glass mansion in the hills. He's in like a rental place... friends are all not on the payroll... it's all very slippery."
    — Alex Russell [13:22]

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6. Performance: Acting in Silence

• Unspoken Truths:
  • Theodore shares his perspective on the challenge and strength of non-verbal acting, emphasizing how dialogue is rarely the full truth and that powerful writing allows for authentic, silent moments on screen.
  • Quote:

    "Dialogue is never—it's always just keys for what's really happening... I think silence is always stronger on film than dialogue. It's where most of it happens, I feel a lot of the time."
    — Theodore Pellerin [15:14]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On fame as a void:

  “Fame is sort of like this sort of infinite void of nothingness... you’re trying to be known and be seen by an infinite quantity. You know, fame is like that, I think, the feeling of wanting community, but from the entire universe or something.”
  — Alex Russell [05:08]

• On authenticity:

  “A lot of what makes the movie work comes down to very small choices, whether it's even just down to the authenticity of these, you know, wardrobe or something like that... just knowing what's going to work for this world.”
  — Alex Russell [08:53]

• On the reality of the ‘inner circle’:

  “They're just at a different place. So I think I kind of see them on the same spectrum, just at different ends of it.”
  — Theodore Pellerin [11:17]

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Key Timestamps

• 00:12: Introduction to the episode and topic
• 02:19: Alex Russell on focusing on social gravity over fame
• 04:01: Theodore Pellerin on Matthew’s motivations
• 05:08: Writing process and themes of loneliness, community, and belonging
• 08:53: Alex Russell on becoming a director and the film’s tonal specificity
• 11:17: Theodore Pellerin on Matthew’s changing view of Oliver
• 13:22: Discussion of class and financial instability in the world of the film
• 15:14: Theodore on the power of acting without dialogue

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Conclusion

This episode provides a rich look into Lurker’s creative process and thematic resonances. Both Alex Russell and Theodore Pellerin reveal the film’s deeper truths about human connection, the need to belong, the illusion of fame, and the intricate dynamics among those on its periphery—all with wit, candor, and deep insight. For anyone interested in the mechanics of indie filmmaking, storytelling, or the psychology of fandom, this episode is a must-listen.

Transcript

[A]

This is all of it. I'm Alison Stewart. Today we're talking about some of the films being recognized at this year's Independent Spirit Awards, which were held last night at the Hollywood Palladium. Later on in the hour, we'll talk about twin lists, about a complicated bromance between two men whose twins have died. We'll also talk about Ephus, which follows the last hurrah of a small town recreational baseball league whose field is being replaced by a school building. But first, let's talk about Lurker. What happens when a fan becomes too close to their idol? That's the question at the heart of the psychological thriller Lurker, which follows a normal guy named Matthew and a singer on the edge of fame named Oliver. Matthew is one of those people who has a parasocial relationship with Oliver, and he uses his cleverness and some manipulation to eke out a small corner of Oliver's inner circle. But jealousy and ownership and belittling lead to a toxic mess, an NPR review noted. In his feature debut, Lurker's writer and director Alex Russell gets this paradox just right on top of a lot of other icky facets of human existence. Lurker was nominated in four categories at this year's Independent Spirit Awards, including best first feature and best first Screenplay for writer and director Alex Russell, and best lead and supporting performances, respectively, for Theodore Pelleron, who plays Matthew, and Archie Mataque, who plays Oliver. When Alex and Theodore joined me in the studio to talk about it, I started by asking Alex what aspects of fame he was thinking about as he put the film together.

[B]

If I'm being honest, I wasn't thinking that much about fame. I was thinking more about sort of the gravity of a person. And, you know, even on like a smaller scale, one, you know, one person in a group of friends can sort of be the famous one. But thinking about groups of friends and where sort of the gravity lies and who, you know, recently I was thinking about there's always one person in the friend group who everyone goes to, goes to their apartment or something like that. And it's like, why don't we ever go to my apartment? And it's sort of these unspoken, like you were quoting sort of icky facets of human existence. And I find them very funny and I find them very sort of. I think they can provide insights about human nature. And I think that's really what I was thinking about. And then fame was sort of almost like a setting, an extreme version of all this where it's all very Clear who's playing what game in the hierarchy. But, you know, there was a version of this movie that could have just taken place in like a fraternity or something like that.

[A]

That's interesting.

[C]

Tador, your character's life changes sort of.

[A]

In an instance at the opening of.

[C]

The film, you stumble on a song that you can put on that, you know, Oliver will respond to, and then you play it kind of co. What did you want us to understand about Matthew in that moment?

[D]

Well, I think in that moment at the beginning of the film, I really see him as kind of just a child trying to make friends in quite a very honest way. I mean, he is manipulating circumstances and trying to. But he's just trying to fit in at the beginning. So, yeah, I very much relate to what Alex is saying. To me, it never really felt like it was the center of. It was about fame. It was always about just really wanting to belong to something and just the fear of being rejected. And also the kind of quick education that someone goes through, learning the codes of a new group, social group, and trying to emulate it to fit in.

[C]

Alex, in your director statement, you mentioned you originally set out to write this script during some free time during the quarantine. Did you have an idea about themes you wanted to write about?

[B]

Yes, I think, you know, retroactively, it's. It's easy to articulate the themes, you know, some of them you just mentioned and sort of the synopsis of the film. But I really think that when I set out to write it, I was not thinking sort of top down in that way thematically. I more so just like had a feeling inside of me that I wanted to explore and sort of purge and extract and unravel. And I knew that themes would come out of that, you know, whether it be sort of, you know, sort of larger like loneliness or belonging or community or sort of desperate way in which people are sort of trying to grasp for, you know, scraps in la. I mean, something I was just thinking about was like, you know, I think people that grow up knowing sort of what their group is and what their community is and being anchored to that in a healthy way don't necessarily do what's going on in this movie. They don't move out of their hometown to la, but LA is full of people who, you know, probably felt rejected by their hometown or never really had one to begin with. And they're all here to. It's now like the world stage is kind of like their community and where they're trying to fit in but there is no way to do that. That's why I kind of. I think about fame as sort of like this like sort of infinite void of nothingness where like the people who are addicted to it, you know, there's no, there's no satisfaction in it whatsoever. It's like you're trying to. You're trying to be known and be seen by an infinite quantity. You know, fame is like that, I think the feeling of wanting community, but from the entire universe or something.

[C]

Preach. You were talking to the choir.

[A]

Teodor.

[C]

At what stage did you actually receive the script?

[D]

It was a while ago. It was. I auditioned in 2021 and I think we shot in 2024. So yeah, three years before, before shooting very much during COVID And how did.

[C]

You put together your character?

[D]

Well, I honestly, it was so long ago that I don't really remember. I think that at first I. I viewed it a bit, maybe more in the lens of kind of a love story or a toxic love story that, you know, that gets, that gets very dirty but not dirty.

[C]

Not that dirty in a sexy way.

[D]

But dirty in an emotional way. And then I think that actually shooting the movie, it became a bit more about someone just doing everything he can in order to try to live a life that is for him, worth living. And. Yeah, so I had to kind of readjust a bit my reading of it before shooting.

[C]

Alex, you have a lot of experience on sets on Beef Dave the Bear, but Lurker is your first feature length debut as a director. When did you realize that you would step into the role of the director because you wrote it? Were you always going to direct it?

[B]

No, that was absolutely not the ambition at the time. I, I really. It was very low stakes. I just wanted to finish something that was longer. And I also, I also want to say I really didn't spend time on any of those sets. I was going like, I was just in the writers room. So I got, I get left out of the fun part and, or really some. It's often the part that's like the most like war is being on set. So I wasn't super prepared for that real life, sort of hyper social, hyper physical event of, of shooting. And I think I would have never directed the movie if like someone else really wanted to do it. You know what I mean? Like people weren't exactly dying to. Dying to take this on. And it, it took sort of, you know, producers who had, who knew how to surround a first time director with people who knew what they were doing to convince me that, that it was possible. And then looking back, I don't think I would have done it another way because it's so. It's so specific. And a lot of what makes the movie work comes down to very small choices. Whether it's even just down to the authenticity of these, you know, wardrobe or something like that. Just knowing, knowing what's going to work for. For this world and knowing kind of the movie has a very specific tone and it has a lot to do with like what I find funny and sort of the minutia of human to human interactions, whether it's just a look or like a little, you know, a joke, just like going a little bit too far, you know, that sort of the sort of like cringe nature of like a lot of what makes people uncomfortable in this movie that is all hyper intentional. And I don't know if another director would have been so sort of honed in on that.

[A]

Theodore Matthew, who you play, he gets kind of close to Oliver. How does Matthew feel about Oliver as a human being?

[D]

I think it's very different how he feels about him at the beginning of the film and towards the end. I think probably in the beginning, Matthew's in la and maybe celebrity is kind of like the highest ideal there is for him. So to me, Oliver must have felt like almost like a God at the beginning of the film. Something that is so unattainable and just kind of miraculous to be in contact with. And so to have an access to him is just a chance that he can't let go. He has to, he has to get in. And then I think that he sees the mechanisms that are in place around him and around Oliver and by Oliver and sort of how inspiration comes and music comes and ideas, and also the social dynamics that are around him where everyone is fighting for their place. And also Oliver is kind of orchestrating the fight. So I think that he see, he goes through. He still wants to be there, but he goes through a disillusionment where after the first half of the film he's like, well, I think I. They don't have much more than me. They're just at a different place. So I think I kind of see them on the same spectrum, just at different ends of it. And then that's how he's able to shift the dynamic and take power. Because he isn't a God, he's just a guy manipulating people. And that's something he can do as well.

[A]

Alex, Some critics have brought up how.

[C]

This film looks like class because, you know, Matthew's in retail at the beginning of the film. He can't afford some of the travel in the film.

[A]

At one point, he's like, I don't.

[C]

Have the money to give you. How present was this in your mind when you wrote the film?

[B]

Honestly, not that present. And. And in fact, I. I wanted to. I wanted to. To make it seem like even Oliver and all of his friends are on in the same kind of precarious financial situation.

[A]

Interesting.

[B]

Like, if you look closely, like, you know, Oliver's not in like a. Like a glass mansion in the hills. He's in like, a rental place that, like, the label put together for him and that could go away. His friends are all not on the payroll. No one is making money really, off of Oliver. And it's. It's really about, you know, what happens after this movie that decides if they ever find some stability. So I. I kind of wanted. I wanted that to be observable. But obviously it's still, like, it's still within grasp. Right. Oliver could eventually get somewhere that he could put all of these people in position to make money or have a real job. But everyone is sort of in a different precarious position right now. Everything is seeming very temporary. And there's a little bit that. That sort of indicates that. Yeah, but I think Matthew is grasping at something that is also grasping at something, and it's all very slippery.

[A]

Todora, I have to ask.

[C]

There's so much of the film which is just your reaction. What do you like about playing a part that doesn't have dialogue in certain parts, where it's just you and your face?

[D]

Well, I mean, I never think of it that. That way. I think, you know, dialogue is in every art, I think for every role. It's very often dialogue is. I mean, quite obviously you're saying something, but it's not really what you're meaning or the truth is something that you're not saying or that you're communicating in another way or. And so dialogue is never. Is always just keys for what's really happening. And it's always just like trying to understand where the truth is and what the character of the character is. I think not all the time, of course, but. But I think most characters, like most of us have costumes that. That we put on in social life or, you know, in different forms. So I think with. With great writing, it's. It's always kind of. Which was the case for Lurker.

[B]

It's.

[D]

It's always great to then have those. Those truths and those kind of epiphanies of what is really happening come to you. But yeah, I think silence is always stronger on film than dialogue. It's where most of it happens, I feel a lot of the time.

[A]

That was filmmaker Alex Russell and actor Theodore Pellerin. The film Lurker was nominated in four categories at this year's Independent Spirit Awards. Coming up, we'll talk about the film Twinless, about two guys who strike up a complicated friendship after meeting at a bereavement support group for twins. That's coming up. This is all of It.

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