Me Before You-Film Review
Do you recall that clichéd scene in many romantic movies where one sees a guy running through an airport terminal seconds before the woman of his dreams is about to board the aeroplane. He usually manages to stop her and confess his undying love and they live happily ever after. Well, luckily, Me before You, although also an intense romantic drama, does not fall in the trap of repeating this or any other clichéd scene, but it is based on the equally ageless recipe of clever poor girl meets rich young boy. Only, in this movie there are many unexpected twists and turns.
Artfully directed by Thea Sharrock, Me before You portrays the intensity of the relationship between a hired caretaker, Lou Clark (Emilia Clark) and Will Traynor (Sam Claffin). The female lead brings to the role a clumsy awkwardness as well as her bright-eyed personality. The male lead is a cynical young aristocratic paraplegic. She is hired to take care of him.
The movie has great characterization, as viewers are treated to many hilarious scenes. Lou’s “chatty” gleaming personality clashes with that of Will, a man who suffers from depression due to his paralysis and who is willing to take drastic measures to ease his troubles. Lou, with no prior experiences of being a caretaker, makes for good suspension of disbelief with her heartfelt sincerity whilst sporting rather outlandish outfits with eye-popping primary colours and butterfly prints. Eventually, an inevitable friendship blossoms between the two and the plot thickens into a prototype Hollywood love story.
However, what is endearing about Lou’s role is that most “game of thrones” fanatics have long been bowing down before this British actress and her impressive display of bad-assery as the silver-haired dragon keeper Daenerys Targaryen, the mother of dragons. In Me before You, it is the opposite.
Her acting skills is an extension of her genius. Only those who are allergic to adorable clumsiness and dewy-eyed sincerity will be able to resist Lou, a sheltered small-town girl with a big personality, few ambitions and deep concerns for her family’s economic welfare.
The climax of the film is emotionally grippin, and most guys will probably squirm in their seats whilst they awkwardly pass Kleenex tissues to their sobbing female companions. There are indeed a few emotional roadblocks that are not as easy to overcome. Lou has a clearly incompatible long-distance-runner boyfriend and Will learns by accident that his new caretaker cum girl friend is engaged to marry one of his best friends . Then the rather dire agenda of Will is revealed. He intentionally tries to frustrate Lou’s attempts to make him happy by taking him to Mozart concerts, heading to racetracks and going on a mesmeric trip to Mallorca.. Uncertainty lingers as no one really knows if they will fall for each other or if tragedy will unravel itself.
The film’s plot has enough twists to grab the attention and deserves a good rating. The scenery is set in England, with grassy meadows, rainy weather, sarcastic dark English humor and exquisite English accents. The main actress even has a secret weapon, a set of dancing thick eyebrows that appear to be under the spell of a snake-charmer.
Go see this movie, it will be a good investment of your leisure time.
