By: Julia Serwaa Peterson
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 05/24/2026 – “Dear Luke, Love, Me” questions what is “normal” in society when it comes to our relationships. Mallie McCown wrote a heartfelt script focusing on queer platonic relationships in their many forms that do not follow pre-established rules.
“Dear Luke, Love, Me” is a personal healing, coming-of-age story that focuses on the end of her queer-platonic (non-romantic) relationship with her significant other after a decade together. The film is Guillermo Diaz’s directorial debut. He fell in love with the film’s honesty and relatability, as well as its beautifully written emotional script, and signed on to direct without a salary.
McCown’s story sheds light on asexual romances and unconventional non-romantic relationships, including the pressures to find and be in a “normal” partnership as the relationship becomes more difficult to explain to others, including each other, over the years. With the expectations of growing up and fitting into our preassigned roles, even a once-in-a-lifetime connection can get lost. Amid finding identity, figuring out sexuality, and deciding how to appear to others.
What Is the Essence of Dear Luke, Love, Me?
The film follows Penelope (Mallie McCown) and Luke (Nick Eversman) through a 13-year relationship that began as a friendship, became a romance, and then returned to a loving, platonic, soulmate bond. Then, just like that, the connection ends slowly and suddenly. Starting with their first sparks at a party in their first year of college. Penny and Luke instantly shared an almost spiritual connection, with similar tastes, humor, musical appreciation, and a deep love for nature. Time was their own, and each second was consumed with being one.
Friends and peers wondered about their unique bond because it appeared so romantic to them. It was different when they met and then dated after a few years of being friends because that was the “normal” path most people take in romantic relationships. The standard analysis of modern relationships still says that boys and girls cannot be friends. Making romance the higher attainment and friendship a weaker, less needed substitute.
You can see how society pressures both characters and the urge to fit into a patriarchal and heteronormative world. Changes the dynamic between the two platonic mates in a truly devastating way as they grow up and move on from college life. Because it unfortunately revealed the harsh realities that most individuals on the ace spectrum have come to face. There is not enough education and mental health support for most people dealing with their sexual identities.
On top of the lack of mental health, there is a scary world filled with the most hateful people who cannot accept the differences of others due to their own insecurities. There are hundreds of questions that people ask, not for understanding but to satisfy their own bias. It is not easy or safe for most people in the ace community, especially now, since there is a fascist, religiously void, President. Who has made it a mission to attack minority communities, including the LGBTQIA+.
I like to believe that true self-expression reaches the heavens. It is a haven for all those mortal souls who ever dare to do things in ways people see as unacceptable. This asexual love story is complicated, yet it is just another film showing us a separate way to love and be loved.
What is “Normal” and the Asexuality Spectrum
McCown mentioned in our interview that she made this film to truly stand for queer-platonic relationships for everyone who has been in this unique, intimate bond, which is hard to define or sustain. Penny and Luke take us through different eras of their lives, showing how they tried to come to terms with what they want and what normal means for them. In the movie, the very charming Nick Eversman (The DUFF), who plays Luke, the male lead, discovers that he is asexual during his friendship and initial romance with Penny.
Asexuality is described by one’s non-normative (non-sexual) experiences of sexual attraction. The whole Ace spectrum includes more individuals in the community whose sexuality is slightly different. Ace-flux (someone whose capacity for sexual or romantic attraction changes over time), Aro (Aromantic people experience little to no romantic attraction), and Demi-sexual (someone who only experiences sexual attraction to people that they have close emotional connections with).
McCown decided to speak with the Asexual community to ensure characters are shown realistically. There is a lack of visibility and educational knowledge on asexuality to broader public audiences. Ignorance grows where the truth is amiss. That is something you can see when both Penny and Luke’s friends in “Dear Luke, Love, Me” cannot understand their intentions toward each other.
Asexual culture is a rejection of the relationship hierarchies that society has created to be law. These hierarchies promote the idea that romantic pursuits, and thus romantic relationships, hold more social value than friendships. Just keeps people from seeing how important friendships are to our souls.
The film’s tagline, “We were never just best friends,” hopefully helps aces see themselves represented on screen in these characters. That is why Mallie McCown shared her script with Rinny Wilson (Director of Photography). “Dear Luke, Love, Me” was her debut as a featured cinematographer, and, as part of the ace community, she felt the script made her feel seen and relatable.
Our Family, Your Friends, and Conformity
Moving on from the college years and settling in to find yourself, out there in the “real” world. It is the closest you will get to feeling like a crashing comet. Everything changes, and the more you strive to find stability, the worse every other situation becomes.
There is something about seeing your friends get married, have babies, and get arrested that shapes you a bit differently. Suppose you are not experiencing any of the three. Like, oh, this is the life I am living. Lonely feeling, seeing how the world spins, never waiting for us to catch our full balance.
These characters are so vibrant in how they communicate with each other that it evokes a warm, welcoming feeling. The way Penny and Luke speak to each other brings you into their private world. There is so much respect for each other’s well-being, even after their romantic relationship dissolved. This level of care is not normal, though it is entirely possible to be friends with an ex partner. In most movies, a lack of communication is used to build drama that keeps the audience interested. McCown’s first produced film features more drama in the external factors that shaped Luke and Penny’s relationship and led to their ending.
“Dear Luke, Love, Me” is not about asexuality but features characters like Luke, who is confirmed to be asexual, and Penny, who is never confirmed, but understood to be a demi-sexual. Luke is a cisgender male who admits to his girlfriend at the time, Penny, that he is part of the ace community. He has never shared this vulnerable and important side of himself with anyone because of his own fears and comfort level with who he is.
A wise woman, as women usually are, said, “A man who cannot appear as himself is a man who can never show you love but will show you out.”
Yes, I can insert my own quotes, and who is going to stop me?
Not A Love Song, but I Needed You More
Patriarchy had been fashioned as a tool for thousands of centuries, so that it not only oppresses women designed for it. It has even made a weakness of identity for the very men who uphold it. There is no freedom to explore, to give joy, or to love without bounds when you tether your own existence to invincible boundaries.
It has made me sympathetic to Luke, the character, because he fits the typical descriptions of a cisgender male. Silly and well-intentioned, as his personality comes across. He was always more withholding about his life, unlike Penny, who is like a ball of pixie dust, and despite her very out loud insecurities. Comes across as more honest and willing to compromise. Luke struggled with insecurities and depression that were not well-managed.
When they continued the friendship after breaking up, Nick shared how sexually he identified and conveyed to Penny. That he was not sexually attracted to naked bodies and did not enjoy having sex with any of his girlfriends. That moment felt so powerful to hear, because wow, that level of trust. Penny, of course, had questions of her own about being with him sexually. Their scene was well-executed, and you can tell the actors, Mallie McCown and Nick Eversman, had on-screen chemistry.
That moment made me fall in love with the script, just as Guillermo Diaz did. It felt so real, like a moment suspended in space. Again, for clarification, for those who might not know, being asexual does not mean you do not like sex or don’t have any. That is why it is a spectrum, because everybody should be free to enforce whatever boundaries they wish.
Now years have gone by, and Luke and Penny have spent the better part of their late twenties together. Continuing in their relationship as best mates, except without any sex whatsoever, just strictly platonic soulmates. Who still loves trees, playing with toys, throwing weird parties, living in apartments next to each other, and adopting a dog. The perfect platonic soulmates and even better cheerleaders for each other’s ambitions until Penny goes to graduate school.
The Rings Around My Past Heartaches Faded Away
“The real things? The once-in-a-lifetime things? That’s never normal,” said Penny to Luke. It is hard to see the ones you love move on without you. Even when they each dated different people, Luke put those relationships first. How do you let your best friend plan out your 26th birthday party and then ask her not to come? He reasoned that his girlfriend did not feel comfortable.
Their relationship was something Penny was willing to accept, but it became harder to accept when she decided to go to graduate school. With all the tension, plus the cracks forming in the once inseparable bond. Leaving felt permanent. When she confronts Luke, he reassures her that graduate school was the right decision. Plus, they always visit each other, and he promised to come. “This isn’t the end, Pen. Trust me,” echoed Luke.
Introducing yourself to a new area on your own is rough, especially considering all those left behind. Penny was in survival mode since she got into her new place, just doing the bare minimum to keep going. The impact of having someone there constantly to being distant is strange. Feeling physically and mentally distraught just from separation and the genuine loss of companionship. It helped when Luke occasionally checked in on her, but that also became complicated.
They went from talking on the phone to communicating only by mail. Which ended shortly after, at least from Luke’s side, but Penny continued to send him letters. Penny’s classmates tried to include her and bring her along, but she was emotionally distant. One of them, named Charlie, went above and beyond, constantly asking her to places despite her rejections.
Meanwhile, Luke is out here living his life in a heteronormative relationship with his girlfriend turned-fiancée, Madison. Unlike Penny, Madison never really got to know Luke well. He chose not to tell his fiancée about being asexual because he feared how that would make him look. He chose being a “normal” cisgender man who can reap and benefit from the emotional labor of women and societal approval within the patriarchy.
Even if it means pretending how it feels or doing things he hates, the benefits outweigh the truth. Makes more sense why Madison had a challenging time dealing with Luke and Penny’s relationship, given the heteronormative relationship laws we all bow down to. It is peculiar that your fiancée’s ex-girlfriend is his best friend. Especially when there are long calls, emails, and letters, like in Madison’s mind, it makes sense why she was resistant to the two constant contacts.
Peace For the Bride and Comfort the Fools
When Luke officially chose to stop contacting and interacting with Penny. It was not that much of a surprise to the viewers near the end of the film. He has already shown that he lets his girlfriends interfere with his friendships before. That, which ended with his lack of personal growth, made me mad. McCown understands the male species as most girls do by age three.
There are generations of men out there who rarely turn into butterflies. They would rather be in a cocoon, hating everyone with wings but fearing the urge to expand and grow their own. Luke is stuck in a frozen, shallow future. Penny, well, she made different choices. Despite the loss and heartbreak when Luke did not show up for her and, worse, slowly ghosted her.
Charlie, who would soon be her husband, was exactly who she was meant to meet on her journey. She had the guts to pursue higher education in something she loves, even during a devastating soulmate relationship. She allowed herself enough growth to bloom enough flowers to make a flower girl happy. That was not the intention of her growth, but it led her to envision a new future that included others.
My favorite part, as I remember, was the movie’s ending. Penny and Luke got a resolution in the end because there was a letter on her wedding day. That Luke sent to her, and as she reads it, in her wedding dress. You can see their relationship end with joy, not sorrow. She lets go of the letter, picks up her flowers, and walks to her lover, family, and friends.
To find a life partner is a gift, to find a soul mate is but a sacred wish. They may not be the same person, but the experiences are always real. “Dear Luke, Love, Me” is a coming-of-age story that explores personal identity, mental health, sexuality, growing up, and accepting change, while delving into the world of queer platonic relationships. Let us not forget that “the real things, the once-in-a-lifetime things are never normal.”
Mallie McCown and The Amazing Crew of Dear Luke, Love, Me
Peter Hepworth wrote the perfect original song, and Jonathan Bartz, the one and only, took full creative control of the Dear Luke, Love, Me score. Bartz is the Godfather of most of this decade’s highest-gloss blockbusters’ musical scores, including Marvel’s Avengers, Star Trek: The Original Series, Indiana Jones, and The Orville. He signed up as the film composer at a deeply discounted rate because he genuinely believes in supporting the next generation of talented artists.
Lindsey McGowen (The Wild Robot, 2024) has been a producer in the industry for the past 20 years and has worked on marketing campaigns for different studios. She is an executive producer of Dear Luke, Love, Me (2025), helping to bring the movie to the screen and attract audiences. Most known for her earlier work on Suits, Grimm, Get Out, Godzilla Minus One, and Cult of Chucky. Hits after hits, when McGowen is part of your production team, you already know it is not a miss.
Have you heard of or watched Scandal, Weeds, Broad City, Girls, Half Baked, or Deli Boys? Then you know, or have heard of, Guillermo Diaz, a native New Yorker and actor with over 30 years of experience in theatre, television, and film. He has been a shining member of the LGBTQIA+ community and has actively advocated for more inclusion and support. This film was about bringing meaningful representation to the screen for the Ace community. Using his star power to support this project made it a bit easier to secure funding. For a directorial debut, he truly soared with this film.
Mallie McCowen showed her multi-talented creative skills through the script, as a lead actress and executive producer. She is a classically trained stage actor with two degrees from Chapman University. She began her writing career in sketch comedy and later produced and wrote her own short films, including the award-winning Dan Brings Home a Cat. McCowen now owns Middle M Productions with her business partner and will continue to produce more feature films.
Nick Eversman is an actor and producer who has been involved in both the TV and movie industry since his teenage years. He has starred in acclaimed, award-winning projects such as The Good Lord Bird, Missing, Wild, and Pretty Boy, as well as guest appearances on hit shows like House, Once Upon a Time, Agents of SHIELD, NCIS, CSI: Miami, and Ghost Whisperer (DLLM, Press). His Luke was endearing, despite my wanting to box the character for my girl, Penny’s, sake. As an actor, he made the character relatable as fuck.
Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut plays Luke’s normie (normal) life partner, Madison, near the end of the film. The actress and writer is known for her work on Broadway and in hit shows such as Cruel Summer, Rap Sh!t, Star Trek: Picard, and Chicago Med. Madison, as a character, was not a fully fledged one, but that‘s true of most heterosexual women’s relationships. They are there to be the prize, not to be actual people. Smooth performance by Ashlei, because it felt so awkward yet heartbreaking in her character role in Luke’s life.
Jameson Cherilus (Charlie) is a Haitian American stage, TV, and Film actor who plays Charlie, Penny’s friend in graduate school. Who later became her husband. His other projects include Late Night Snack, directed by Alex Hawthorne, and he has appeared on AMC’s hit TV show ALLBLK and in Send Help (DLLM, Press). Charlie was a surprising character to me because I assumed it was going to be one of those love triangles between him and Luke. It was important to Penny that he be there for her emotionally, as a friend and schoolmate, during that period of loneliness. Charlie was easy to fall for on-screen, and the earnestness of his actions captured the start of something true.
Rinny Wilson, the Director of Photography from Georgia, has worked as a camera assistant on Harriet (Focus Features), The Good Lord Bird (Showtime), Swagger (Apple TV), and more. Dear Luke, Love, Me (2025) is their debut feature film as a cinematographer (DLLM, Press). Her insight as an asexual helps McCown finds the terms she needs to describe and build a durable foundation for the film.
Billy Durden is an LA-based editor who has worked across film and television. His editing credits include the features of Monty Comes Back (2016) and Dear Luke, Love, Me (2025), as well as the short film In Your Hands (2024) (DLLM, Press). How he linearly edited the movie tied perfectly with the film.
Special shout-out to the rest of the crew and the amazing people all involved in the production of Dear Luke, Love, Me (2025). The crew’s hard work in front and behind the cameras makes all the difference, and they are all appreciated.
Where Can I Watch Dear Luke, Love, Me on Steaming, and Socials
There are places to check out, “Dear Luke, Love, Me,” and rent it for your viewing pleasure on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video.You can watch it for free with ads included on Tubi and Sling TV.
Follow Mallie McCown and Guillermo Diaz on Instagram, and do not forget to follow the official Dear Luke, Love, Me account there as well!
