By Paul Hall
What if you had the perfect job, the perfect girl and an active social life that in an instant was ripped from your grasp? The new film Me Before You deals with life, loss, love and the reality of it all.
Will Traynor (Sam Claflin) is a man living a very successful life. When an accident leaves him paralyzed and everything he believes he loves is gone, Will moves back with his family in the countryside. Needing constant attention, his parents hire an inexperienced caregiver named Louisa Clark (Emilia Clarke) to help with Will.
Louisa, a bit surprised by the hiring given her inexperience, is pleased to be given the opportunity. She helps support her family in their modest home and has been searching for a steady job since the café she worked in closed. But can she handle the delicate task of working with Will, who seems to lack any interest in letting anyone in?
While wanting to quit every day in the first two weeks of her employment, she sticks with him thanks to the support of her sister. As time goes on, Lou’s personality starts to wear down Will’s harsh exterior. Her chatty true nature is something that can’t be stifled, even by a man who wants to close himself off from everyone and everything around him. Before long she realizes that Will really does have a heart.
After finding out Will’s true intention to give his parents six months before ending his life, Lou initially balks but then fights for the man she is learning to love. Could her efforts prove fruitful? Or will the man whose life has been altered forever continue down his own road without her?
The story of Me Before You grabs our hearts. Who can’t feel for a young man who loses all he loves? Claflin portrays Will as a man who has hardened himself to avoid dealing with his current situation. If he doesn’t let anyone in, he can’t start to feel like there is more to come in this life. His stoic nature has viewers yearning for Louisa to break through to a man seemingly rock solid in his convictions.
Clarke plays Louisa as a young woman who is internally happy. She loves her family and is willing to put everyone before herself. As an audience, we long for her to be happy. When her boyfriend plans a holiday to compete in a triathlon with his buddies first and to spend time with her second, we sigh and want more for her. We cheer when Will presents her with a special birthday gift. We love when she starts growing as a woman and she wears the stunning red dress.
With our feelings established for Louisa and Will, it becomes hard to deal with the deeper issue in the film. Will’s desperation to end his pain is overwhelming and it is easy to see his hopelessness. Our hearts break alongside Louisa’s as we are hopeful that he will reconsider his choice. Dying with dignity is a hot-button issue that might be a bit too deep to address here. Director Thea Sharrock does her best to work with the overwhelming topic that some believe to be a black-and-white issue. As we can see, there is at least a little gray involved, but there is not enough time here to go into a deep dive of a topic to give it the attention it truly deserves.
In the end, is this a romantic film? Yes. But it is a film that is more about love than romance, and sometimes all you can offer another is love.
Me Before You
Rated: PG-13
Stars: Emilia Clarke, Sam Claflin, Janet McTeer
Director: Thea Sharrock
Grade: B
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