Their relationship reminded Madekwe of friendships he had in college. “I do know lots of people that are incredible one-on-one and make you feel like you are the entire world,” Madekwe says. “And then as soon as you enter a room with a group, that seemingly fades away, or you realize that it’s not so special, and all of a sudden this strange kind of rivalry begins with all these different people.”
Those experiences helped him understand Oliver and realize the root of that behavior. “It really comes from a place of insecurity and anxiety,” he says, “and the need to be liked and the need to develop these intense attachments with people.”
Oliver’s desperation to be liked comes out in different ways, whether it’s befriending random strangers or tinkering with his personality to fit a social event. In a weird way, Oliver and Matthew are two sides of the same coin: They both operate as blank slates to reflect whatever someone needs or wants from them.
That blankness was both appealing and terrifying for Pellerin when playing Matthew. “It felt like he was becoming real only when he is given a cue or understands what is asked of him and how he should be interacting in a given situation,” Pellerin says of the character. “There was something very unfinished, [someone] who is shape-shifting all the time to the best of his ability, and in reaction to what’s in front of him.”
For all the toxicity between these characters, there’s also a kind of love, both in friendship and in a queer undercurrent — that question of, do you want someone or do you want to be them? In conversations with the director, they talked about Oliver most likely having some sort of sexual fluidity in his private life. And for Matthew, in the palpable loneliness of his outside life, his relationship with Oliver can be seen as kind of a dark love story. Most of their dynamic, however, comes down to power.
“You have this intense connection with someone that’s like, Is this about sex? Is this about violence?” Madekew says. “I can’t remember who said it, it’s a very basic quote, but it was like, ‘Everything in life’s about sex…’”
“’…except sex,’” Pellerin adds, jumping in, “‘which is about power.’”
“Yeah, that’s the full quote,” Madekwe finishes. “It doesn’t become about that because the power, what’s happening in the power dynamic, is actually quite clear. For Oliver and Matthew, it is more complex than just sex — it’s not just about sex. As Alex [Russell] put it, they didn’t need the sex to consummate the idea of the power dynamic.”
Courtesy of Lurker/MUBI