Well into Lurker , a gripping melodrama about a sociopathic striver who burrows his way into the clique of a pop star, said striver is stopped on the street. An awe-struck stranger has recognized Matthew (Théodore Pellerin) from the celebrity’s Instagram posts, and wants some advice on how to follow in his footsteps. “You inspire me to be myself,” he gushes. But sandwiched between the awkward flattery is an embarrassing admission: He has no idea what Matthew “does,” exactly. In fact, he wonders — eagerly, as if ready to jot down study notes on the spot — “What do you, like … do ?”

There it is — an illustrative, if not definitive, query for our current times. What does anyone these days do, really ? As the hustle culture/gig economy/social media influencer ecosystem has swallowed ent

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