Amazing film

Rating: 9/10 (16 July 2018)

In any love movie, there has to be a tragic event happen but soon be resolved by the "prince" or man of the entire story. In many cases, romantic films have someone who is disabled and ends up falling in love with someone. The protagonist tragically has to tell their partner the challenges they have to face and they resolve the problem and live happily ever after. Me Before You is definitely a movie to rewatch because each character has significant traits that compliment the rest of the movie, shifting perspectives and giving a jaw- dropping finish.
Director Thea Sharrock does a phenomenal job in making the personalities of each character very realistic and believable. A cheerful town girl named Louisa Clarke, got fired from her job at a cafe near her home that she has worked at for 6 years and is in desperate need of employment. She then finds the job of caregiving for a 35 year old disabled man and decides to take the opportunity hoping to get the job. Louisa is very happy and outgoing with a very strange sense of style while Will is the complete opposite. When Louisa was introduced to Will, he had already started with a bad impression and gave Louisa a bad vibe making her job difficult. Will, being disabled, has the stereotype that people in wheelchairs are weak and sweet people, considering that they have experienced such a terrible accident. However, Will comes off as rude and offensive, not caring about where his life is going. Louisa has the stereotype that she's calm and nice because she is the caregiver and he is disabled. However, she is very honest and blunt with him which he respects considering that everyone treats him like a baby and is unable to think for himself. For example, she was fixing some frames he had destroyed after he was invited to his ex girlfriend's wedding and he insults her while doing so resulting in her telling him that she does not deserve the treatment everyone else is receiving because she is only trying to do her job as best she can. It is very obviously to see how two completely different personalities collide and how the stereotypes of these certain people are quickly flipped and you get a sense of reality. She changes the idea of these two personalities and makes it seem like something like this would really occur in real life and it is one of the biggest factor in any movie. Viewers always look for how realistic the movie is and if it makes sense and Sharrock did just that.
Sharrock gears the attention towards the disabled man with his point of view to really see how people like him feel about themselves and what they have to go through everyday. Throughout the movie you see how Will feels embarrassed about his situation considering that he needs extra help from other people. Will Traynor had an amazing life before the accident. He was a businessman with many interests in sports, a very active man. Once the road accident occurred, he became his own worst nightmare. He hated himself every minute. When Louisa would want to do something with him, he makes "suggestions" which is really just sarcasm because he wants to be left alone and unbothered. Sharrock really shows how frustrated he gets with himself and it's what ties the audience in. You never see how a disabled person can feel about their lives when no matter how happy or fun your life is for some moment, you still go on every single day hating it.
One of the biggest make or break moments in any movie is how it ends and in this film it is done exceptionally well. When Louisa finds out that Will is planning to end his life in 6 months, she makes a plan to try and change his mind by showing him how his life can be with her. She takes him on a trip and they do many activities together building a romantic relationship. As the trips show how happy they were together you would think that he would change his mind and stay with Louisa because she has clearly shown that she will do anything to be with him no matter the circumstance. However, the last night at their romantic getaway, she admits that she knew about Dignitas, a society that provides assisted suicide, and how his parents only had six months. She begins to talk about how she can make his life better and show him what a great life looks like even if he's paralyzed. The saddening truth was that he knew no matter who it was, no one was going to change his mind. His mind was set and there was no going back. He knew that no matter what came in his way, they would never have to go through what he goes through and never understand what it's like to be in a wheelchair paralyzed from the neck down.
The ending is the sprinkles to the cake. The way the personality traits are set up, Will makes us believe he is having a great time with her on the trips Louisa plans, and soon coming down to keeping his decision the same before and after all the fun had occurred. It all ties together perfectly because in the perspective of a disabled man, you see how he truly feels and everyday he feels like a burden and doesn't want anyone else doing anything for him making it difficult on everyone. The ending wasn't a typical "happily ever after" or a "he fell in love and knows that he can be happy again." Sharrock ends with a completely different twist that will leave you with tears running down your face.