It says in the lyrics that “loving can hurt sometimes” which some of us may or may not agree with. But what about the physical pain that can put you in a position you wished to end your life?That too despite having a true love that’s willing to put up with any hardship brought towards you? In Thea Sharrock’s amazingly beautiful film you will discover the true meaning of living in the moment, even if that moment is only for a short amount of time, as you had set everything in place to end all the pain you are going through soon…
Will Traynor is a rich and handsome young man who just started living his life fully, until the motorcycle accident that leaves him paralyzed from the neck down. Living every day in incredible pain, the young man gives six months to his parents before they take him to Switzerland for euthanasia. But soon everything changes for him when a young, ridiculously dressed woman named Louisa Clark starts nursing him.
In the beginning, Will makes her days nightmarish, perhaps, to make her quit the job. But her stubbornness and kind-heartedness makes Will’s rejection of help to disappear, as they slowly start forming an unlikely bond, and soon fall for each other, while you as a viewer will fall for them as well. In the meantime, Louisa accidentally finds out about Will’s plan and decides to embark him on a journey to show what he can lose in case he proceeds with his plan to end his life. While Will enjoys the company of “Lou” Clark, the pain that started accompanying him since the day of the accident grows stronger and stronger that eventually makes the young man to make his final decision.
This film would not work so well, or rather deliver the beauty the novel had, if not for its author Jojo Moyes who has written a screenplay for it. Right from the beginning, when you already pass the first ten minutes of running time, you will realize what an incredible film you’re actually watching. It develops the story so well and flawlessly that you already want to cry, even though, there are not many reasons for it. But usually, it happens only when that particular film reaches the top level of storytelling when you feel yourself absolutely connected with it until it’s over.
To me, as a huge fan of “GAME OF THRONES” and The Mother of Dragons, portrayed by Emilia Clarke, it was hard to picture British actresses in any other role, other than Daenerys Targaryen. Seeing her as Lou Clark in ME BEFORE YOU was certainly strange, but her acting ability, expressive eyebrows, and facial expression do the job well, transforming her into a lovely character with a quest to help Will Traynor to see that the beauty of life is much greater and worth seeing than pain and desire to die.
In conclusion, ME BEFORE YOU tells an amazingly beautiful love story that will touch your heart deeply. Sam Claflin as paralyzed Will Traynor and Emilia Clarke as Louisa Clark together brings back the sweet 90s, when we all used to watch romantic films and cry like babies when the ending was not so happy. So, if you ask me if ME BEFORE YOU is worth seeing or not, my obvious answer will be – yes, it is definitely worth seeing. But before you enter the theater, do not forget to bring with you tissues, as you will be needing it desperately when the time comes to celebrate the ending of a charming film with some tears in your eyes.