When was the last time you read a book after watching its movie? For me, as far as I remember, The Fault in Our Stars was the last movie that made me want to read its book. It’s very rare for a movie adaptation to be better than the book it’s based on. However, there are some films that truly do justice to the original stories. Today, we’ll look at one such movie.
We’re talking about Me Before You — a deeply emotional love story between two people who are completely different from one another. This movie, based on Jojo Moyes’ novel of the same name, does an excellent job of capturing the magic of the book.
It stars Emilia Clarke, known for her role as Khaleesi in Game of Thrones, and Sam Clafin, who played Finnick in The Hunger Games. Me Before You deals with themes of lasting love, difficult moral choices, and living life to the fullest. It’s a heartbreaking story of two people facing the hardest decision of their lives. Now, let’s see why this movie became such a hit in 2016.
In the movie, it’s great to see how the two characters get along despite being very different. Lou is energetic and positive, while Will’s every word is full of sarcasm and negativity. However, over time, they start to become friends — watching movies together, and Will sharing stories about his past, when he used to travel a lot, have adventures, and explore new cultures.
On the other hand, Lou’s life has been simple, controlled by her family and boyfriend. Her boyfriend even plans trips without asking her opinion or trying to learn about her interests. After spending time with Will, Lou realizes she needs to expand her horizons and find ways to make her life more meaningful.
Plot of the Movie
The movie starts with a young couple — beautiful, blonde Alicia and handsome, fit, 30-something Will Traylor (Sam) making love in bed, under the soft duvet. It’s 6:15 in the morning, and Will gets out of bed to leave for work. He gets ready, tells Alicia he’ll cook dinner that night, and heads out. It’s raining heavily, and he spots a taxi across the road. As he tries to catch it, he walks across the road without looking, still talking on his phone.
That’s when we see a speeding bike’s lights coming straight at him. He turns and freezes, and we realize he’s been in a terrible accident.
The next scene introduces Lou (Emilia Clarke), a quirky and talkative woman who wears colorful, childish clothes and works in a café. That day, however, she gets fired from her job and heads home to her family. She lives in a small house with her parents, her sister Treena, Treena’s young son, and her grandfather.
The family relies on the money from both Lou and her sister, and it’s a struggle for them to get by. We also meet Lou’s long-time boyfriend, Patrick, who is focused on his own interests and doesn’t pay much attention to Lou.
Now unemployed and looking for a new job, Lou visits an employment agency that offers her a well-paying, 6-month caretaker position for a disabled person. Needing the money, Lou accepts the job. After an awkward interview with a woman named Camilla, Lou is hired to care for her son, Will, who has quadriplegia — he has lost the use of his legs and has very limited use of his arms and hands. Now we understand what happened to Will after the accident in the first scene.
Me Before You Ending Explained
It has a heartbreakingly sad ending that leaves most viewers in tears. When Lou realizes she didn’t support Will in his decision, she quickly leaves for Switzerland after contacting his parents. When she enters his hospital room, Will is happy to see her and jokingly asks if she’s there to make his last cup of tea. Lou replies, as usual, in a witty way, saying that she plans to kidnap him and take him to Rio.
Will then asks Lou to open the door to the garden, and they snuggle together, with Lou resting her head on his chest. Lou asks him to say something good, and Will begins humming the lyrics of the Molahonkey song she had sung to him on the night he was sick, the night they got closer.
Eventually, Will’s voice becomes softer and weaker, and he asks to call his parents. His final close-up shows his hand resting on Lou’s with his thumb gently caressing her hand.
The last scene shows how Lou begins to move on with her life after Will’s death. This is a story about everlasting love, and how someone can continue to improve our lives even when they’re no longer around.
Was it a Sad Ending?
Now, if you ask whether this is a happy ending, the answer is no. Is it a tough, sad ending? Yes, definitely. However, after Me Before You was released, some viewers found its ending controversial. Here’s why. Some disability advocates believe the movie sends a negative message, especially since the protagonist chooses to end his life rather than live as a quadriplegic.
Jay Ruderman, President of the Ruderman Family Foundation, said, “The upcoming release of the movie Me Before You presents a deeply troubling message to our society about people with disabilities. To the millions of people with significant disabilities currently leading fulfilling, rich lives, it posits that they are better off committing suicide.”
However, if you ask my opinion on this, I don’t think the movie is promoting assisted suicide. It’s really about the personal choices that people make. Every person is different, and everyone has the right to their own views. Like Lou in the movie, she doesn’t support Will at first. But later, she realizes she can’t fully understand what Will is going through when she tries to see it from her own perspective.
What matters is how she supports him during such a difficult time. That’s what matters: how we stand by each other through the toughest moments. We can’t force our views on others.