Juliet, Naked(2018)

Storyline

• Annie (Rose Byrne) is stuck in a long-term relationship with Duncan (Chris O'Dowd) - an obsessive fan of obscure rocker Tucker Crowe (Ethan Hawke). When the acoustic demo of Tucker's hit record from 25 years ago surfaces, its release leads to a life-changing encounter with the elusive rocker himself. Based on the novel by Nick Hornby, JULIET, NAKED is a comic account of life's second chances. Annie Platt moved back from London to her English seaside town of Sandcliff when her father became ill. Following his death, she reluctantly stayed to take over his job as curator of the local historical museum, at which she remains largely out of inertia. Since moving back, she has been in a long term relationship with Duncan Thomson, who moved to town for his job as a lecturer on movies and television at the local college. Annie quietly accepts the third that Duncan has brought into the relationship: American Tucker Crowe. Duncan considers Tucker the preeminent alternative rocker who never received his proper due. After Tucker released what Duncan considers his seminal album, "Juliet" - the songs stemming from a relationship with a woman named Julie - Tucker dropped off the radar completely. Duncan, who maintains a fan website and hosts a podcast for the few hundred dedicated Tucker Crowe fans, does research and speculates on what happened to Tucker, Duncan considering himself the expert on all things Tucker Crowe. The divide between Duncan and Annie concerning anything Tucker widens when Duncan receives one of the early studio recordings from "Juliet", which has been coined "Juliet, Naked". Duncan considers "Naked" revolutionary, while Annie considers it trite, arguably only because of Duncan's adoration of anything Tucker. This divide leads in part to Duncan falling into the arms of his new fellow lecturer Gina, who is more pro-Tucker than Annie, and Annie herself finding solace in someone she meets online through discussion of "Naked" on Duncan's website: Tucker Crowe himself. Beyond Duncan's infatuation, Annie ends up really being able to talk to Tucker about their struggles, which includes the reason why he dropped out of sight and the complicated nature of his life now. Her new friendship with Tucker may have a profound effect on her life, despite the unusual aspect of Duncan's infatuation with him. — Huggo