Director Alex Russell made 'Lurker' about obsessive fandom. He'd rather not talk about himself

We are sitting between the “Miscellaneous Horror” and “Juvenile Delinquents” sections at CineFile Video, a compact, densely stocked curated video store on the westside of Los Angeles.Surrounded by physical media, I wonder how “Lurker,” the first feature by writer-director Alex Russell, will eventually be classified here.The shelf across from him holds the DVDs and Blu-rays labeled “Gay.” The realization prompts him to chuckle.

“That’s me,” he says.Arms crossed, Russell, 34, at first seems guarded and resistant to conversation.He admits doing press about his work is still a novel experience for him.

Later, as he digs into the making and meaning of his movie, he’ll relax and the words will spontaneously flow.Out this Friday, “Lurker” examines the insidious entanglement between rising British music star Oliver (Archie Madekwe) and the seemingly docile Matthew (Théodore Pellerin), a clothing store employee turned self-styled tour videographer.As Matthew joins Oliver’s inner circle, their parasocial bond evolves into a real friendship, until Matthew’s desire to belong becomes dangerous.

And while at first Oliver rules over a pack of sycophants, the power shifts.“Everyone has been in a situation where they want a group of people to like them,” Russell says.“And then sometimes you’re on the other side of it, where you’re already in and you see someone else wanting to be liked by you.”As someone who went to several different schools growing up, Russell became observant of male relationships and the implicit rules by which they operate.

“I could see how groups of boys, whether it’s in high school, a fraternity or a basketball team, start to assemble themselves and create sort of unspoken hierarchies,” Russell says.The music world presented an ideal setting as well.“Lurker’s” mean-boys drama mostly takes place in Los Angeles, where individuals seeking a career in entertainment by any means necessary abound.

Russell...