“You only get one life. It’s actually your duty to live it as fully as possible”
‘Me Before You’ is a piece of adult fiction that combines the elements of a love story and the realistic world. The novel is written by British Novelist, Jojo Moyes. She is one of the only few authors to have twice won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award by the Romantic Novelists’ Association and has been translated into twenty-eight languages. The book was published in 2012 and was on the New York Times list of the best-selling books for about 19 weeks. The movie was released in 2016, it is not a typical romantic movie as it doesn’t have a happy ending. However, it shows a very unlikely bond between a small-town girl and a paralyzed man.
The movie has a right mix of emotions, beautiful scenery and also the actors have truly justified to their characters making the whole story seem very sweet, beautiful and believable. Also, unlike most of the romantic movies, this one doesn’t give any fake hopes or unrealistic expectations from love or life. But I haven’t cried in the film as much as I did during this one in a long, long time and it’s the sort of film that breaks you in two, giving arrival of tears that it’s essential to experience from time to time.
Louisa Clark (“Game of Thrones” actress Emilia Clarke) is a 26-year-old from a hard-fought middle-class family. Lou is a resourceful, optimistic girl who sacrificed her talent in her small home town because she feels responsible for caring for her mother (Josie), her father (Bernard), and her aunt, Treena. She is also caught up with her fitness-obsessed boyfriend Patrick in a long-term relationship. Lou becomes the caregiver for Will Traynor (Sam Claflin) and keeps showing him that, although Will suffers from quadriplegia, time on earth is still worth living.
Lou is relentlessly hopeful, finally falling in love with Will and the adventure spark he brings to her life. Will is toxic at first, filled with bitterness and resentment about losing his once-wonderful life. He is still dealing with chronic pain, finding no pleasure in life. Lou is meant to be a bundle of joy to dissipate the black clouds that give the sagging spirits of Will and boost his desire to live. Although their initial meeting is frosty, love finally starts to bloom in what is a relationship that is very cliché but highly enjoyable.
There are a few cute and beautiful moments andscenes in the movie. A few of my favorite scenes are the one where Lou is on Will’s lap and they both are enjoying a slow romantic wedding dance , the vacation Lou had planned for Will to give him optimism and try to make him feel that there is still hope in life while she tries out new adventure rides and activities and the one where Will gets Lou a pair of bumblebee tights for her birthday keeping in mind the quirky fashion sense of Lou, Lou’s reaction in this scene was remarkable and touching.
The chemistry that cements this between Clark and Claflin as the one you might find yourself watching over and over. The bond they share helps you to fully immerse yourself in their love story and if you allow yourself to succumb to the emotional rollercoaster ride, you’re in for a tear-jerking treat. “Me Before You,” wants you to sob and cry and happily enjoy but doesn’t want you to suffer. either It’s a tough thread needle— to quote the Ed Sheeran song which invariably plays over the climactic moments: “Love will hurt. Sometimes loving can hurt “— and one the film negotiates by covering its uncompromisingly frank melodrama with a dense Hollywood shine layer.
Too many of the stronger occasions play with curious airlessness, as Ed Sheeran’s and Imagine Dragons’ on-the-nose music indicators give heavy scenes a droopy mood. The music makes it easier for the audience to capture the entire essence of the movie because of its soothing melodies, touching and meaningful lyrics. It sets an entirely different vibe and mood. Basically, this is one of those movies that comes under ‘The Feel-Good Category’ on my movie list.