It's not just a love story.
Me Before You isn't just a love story. It shows us the growth of the two main characters – Will Traynor and Louisa Clark - who are pretty much opposites. Will was angry, stubborn, and moody, while Louisa was just a quirky and bubbly woman contented in her own little world. It also shows the stories of both their families. Louisa’s family isn’t as rich as Will’s family – in fact, they aren’t rich at all. Louisa’s entire family rely on her to make ends meet. When she was laid off from her job at a café, she ended up working for the Traynor’s, to help care for Will, a young quadriplegic who got into an accident two years ago. Will grew up in a rich family, where he pretty much got to live his life, until the accident, that is.
I like how Jojo Moyes portrayed Will as the guy who lived his life as if each day was his last. He went on adventures and took a lot of risks, though of course that doesn’t mean he deserved what happened to him. I mean, we never know what’s tomorrow has in store for us – for Will, when he got into the accident, it felt like his life might as well have ended. Being a quadriplegic meant partial or complete loss of use of all four limbs. He could no longer go on adventures; he felt trapped in his own box. That’s why he wanted to end his life. Louisa was the complete opposite. She worked and went home - that's pretty much how her days go. She eventually used that to her advantage and got Will to go places with her, to show him that life can still be good, even though he's on a wheelchair. But that just wasn't enough for Will.
A lot of people have been saying bad things about the movie since it encourages assisted suicide, which Dignitas, a Swiss non-profit organization, offers. For me, that’s not the idea that Jojo Moyes is bringing out to the world, I mean, it’s not even what the movie is about. Me Before You is about the lives of both characters before and after they met each other. Those who have watched the movie would have seen how they changed and how they evolved. Assisted suicide has been around a while, but this is probably the first time that they showed it on the big screen. This is reality, people. I don’t like the idea, but all these people want to do is to die with dignity. It’s really up to them. We can try discouraging them from doing it, but in the end, it’s still their choice. Anyway, this is just a book - it was first published in 2012, so there’s no reason why people should be reacting this way now.
Anyway, a lot of people who watched Me Before You probably didn’t read the book, hence the ending wasn't something they expected. Plot twist!
I read the book in 2014, and the memories of it kept pouring into my head while I was watching the movie. I knew what was going to happen, but I still cried when IT happened. Overall, I loved the emotions that Will showed in the film, both his serious and not-so-serious moments. I think he’s more handsome with a bit of facial hair though, but his smile is EVERYTHING. I also loved Emilia Clarke and her quirkiness as Louisa. She played the character really well. Though I did get distracted at how her eyebrows moved when she talked and laughed and cried, etc. I still love her though!
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If you haven't watched it yet, catch it before it's too late! Watch the trailer here.
