[Movie] Me Before You

storicious(70)

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I love this movie for its ending.

Now people who have watched it, may not like me for saying this. But this is the truth. It was totally an unpredictable one. The movie where the climax does not follow the usual trend.

Now before going on with the movie, let me state some good and unqiue facts about this movie.

So, Me Before You is actually based on a novel with the same name, written by Jojo Moyes, published in 2012. Now this isn't unique, right? Here comes the uniqueness: Moyes, later on, herself adapted the novel into the screenplay for the 2016 film. You can just imagine the love she had for this masterpiece. Now, I am not saying it is something beyond comprehension. Because, at the surface level, it is more of a romantic movie; but yes, the ending part does bring the not so usual approach.

Now another uniqueness is that the story is from real- life inspirtation.

Moyes once heard or maybe read a news report about a young rugby player who had become quadriplegic (refers to a person who has paralysis or severe loss of movement and sensation in all four limbs, usually due to an injury or damage to the spinal cord in the neck) following an accident. Despite the support of his family, he did not wish to continue living under the circumstances imposed by his disability and eventually sought assisted suicide in Switzerland. Although, I cannot feel the exact pain, but being a player myself, I know how it feels. So, I might not call his decision the worst of all.

Now, the story stayed with Moyes. Why? Because she also had close family members who required such care. These experiences encouraged her to explore questions about quality of life, personal independence, choices and the right to make decisions about one's own existence. Oh the brutality of existence itself!

It is important to note that the movie, itself, is not just retelling. It is a mixture of fiction and non-fiction. But, the best part about it is asking whether love, no matter how genuine, can change someone's decision about their own life or not. In simple, exploring the intensity of love.

The plot

The story revolves around Louisa Clark (Emilia Clarke), a cheerful and eccentric young woman from a middle class family. She is unemployed, as she has lost her job at the local cafe. Being middle class and her family struggling financially, she gets a job as a caregiver for Will Traynor (Sam Claflin). Will is a wealthy
(solves a lot of problems tho) and successful young man who was left quadriplegic following a road accident.

IMdB

Before the accident, Will was an adventurous man who enjoyed travelling, taking risks and experiencing everything life had to offer. More like a cool guy. However, his circumstances have changed drastically. He is now dependent on others for almost everything and has become bitter, cold and increasingly disconnected from the world around him.

Moving forward, movie brings two different personalities in one frame. Lou(isa) is cheerful and Will is rather unpleasant. And there first meeting was really awkward but funny at the same time, lol. Lou was like: wt...

Watch it for yourself

And ah man, Will's accent. I am ovulating being a man :)

Anyways their relationship is not the normal one. It is full of awkward comnversations, sarcastic remarks, and rarely, arguments.

But, as I said: love does have intensity to change.

So, it starts to kick in. Lou begins to understand Will beyond his disability. In the meanwhile, Will starts discovering a different perspective on life through her. And just like that their relationship develops into something neither of them initially expected.

However, there is one important detail that Lou does not fully understand at the beginning: Will has already made a decision about his future; and his parents have agreed to give him six months before carrying out that decision.

Spoiler Ahead

Despite Louisa's efforts, Will ultimately decides to go ahead with his plan to end his life through assisted dying in Switzerland. She travels there to spend his final moments with him, hoping that maybe he will change his mind.

But he does not. Quite a hard decision.

Will dies, leaving Louisa heartbroken. However, he also leaves her an inheritance and a letter encouraging her to experience life beyond the limitations she has placed upon herself.

His final message is essentially that she should live boldly, explore the world and make the most of the one life she has.

Louisa Clark by Emilia Clarke.

I know that Emilia Clarke is known to all of us. Most of us knows her from Games of Thrones - the Mother of Dragons. And through her role in Me Before You, I can vouch that she is a great actress. She nailed a completely different character with such greatness.

She is all charming, her big smile, an unusual amount of warmth, innocence, awkward conversations and endless enthusiasm makes her all likeable. But, once again, we are talking about Emilia Clarke here.

Will Traynor by Sam Claflin

This guy here nailed his role. Playing a character who spends most of his time in a wheelchair and has limited physical movement is not an easy task.

The best thing about his character is that he expresses his frustration through communication. He uses such language to explain how he is feeling at the moment, and that too, indirectly.

In the end, I really enjoyed the whole experience. I am not going to say that is the most complicated romantic drama, nor does it promises something groundbreaking or miracolous,

But, I just love the fact that the movie does not force itself with love. Like for usual stuff, love is supposed to fix everything magically. Rather, this one, focuses more on reality and difficult choices.

Just remember what Will said to Lou in his final letter: