Me Before You is a 2016 romanticdrama film directed by Thea Sharrock in her directorial debut and adapted by English author Jojo Moyes from her 2012 novel of the same name.
The film stars : Emilia Clarke, Sam Claflin, Jenna Coleman, Charles Dance, Matthew Lewis, Janet McTeer, Vanessa Kirby, Joanna Lumley, and Steve Peacocke.
Set in the United Kingdom, the film is shot in various historic locations around the country, including Pembroke Castle in Wales, and Chenies Manor House in Buckinghamshire,
Released on June 3, 2016, in North America, the film received mixed reviews and grossed $208 million worldwide.
William “Will” Traynor (Sam Claflin) is a successful banker and active man who is in a good relationship with his girlfriend Alicia. One morning while they are in bed, Will gets a call telling him to come into work. While walking to work, he is talking on his cell phone and inadvertently walks in front of a motorcycle. As a result of the accident, Will is paralyzed from the neck down and permanently bound to a motorized wheelchair. Alicia breaks up with him three months later, as she is tired of him pushing her away.
Two years later, Louisa “Lou” Clark (Emilia Clarke) is a happy, outgoing woman who lives with and supports her working-class family. After losing her job at a local cafe, she is hired as a companion for Will Traynor. Lou has no experience, but Will’s mother believes her cheery personality will help lift his spirits. Will only spends time with his nurse Nathan (Steve Peacocke), who knows that he will never regain use of his body due to the damage to his spinal cord. Nathan assists him with everything physical like movement, exercise, and clothing.
Cynical and depressed because he can no longer live an active life, Will initially reacts coldly to Lou’s upbeat demeanor and treats her with contempt. After two weeks, Will has a visit from his former best friend Rupert and Will’s ex-girlfriend Alicia, who reveal that they are engaged. Will manages to smash all the photographs on his dresser in anger and indignation, which Lou tries to repair the next day, leading to a verbal altercation between the two. The next day, Will asks Lou to watch a film with subtitles with him, and she accepts. The two begin to bond and eventually become close friends. Lou and Will continue to talk daily; she learns that he is cultured and worldly, having traveled extensively. In contrast, her life so far has been simple, without many interests or hobbies or travel away from home. Her long-term boyfriend, Patrick (Matthew Lewis), is training to take part in a Viking triathlon in Norway, a hobby that he often chooses over spending time with her. Will urges Lou to broaden her horizons and tells her that it’s her responsibility to live her life as fully as possible.
While Nathan takes care of Will during one of his occasional illnesses, Lou notices Will’s scarred wrists from a previous suicide attempt. Sometime after, Lou overhears an argument between Will’s parents, and she learns that Will has given his parents six months before checking in to Dignitas in Switzerland for assisted suicide. Will refuses to accept life with a disability that entails dependency, pain, and suffering without any hope for recovery of his old self. Lou then takes it upon herself to change his mind. She organizes various trips and adventures to show Will that life is worth living, despite his disability. Will gradually becomes more communicative and open to her plans. Lou, Will, and Nathan attend horse racing, a trip far from perfect. Nonetheless, Lou sways Will into attending a Mozart concert. Will then decides to attend Alicia’s wedding and asks Lou to accompany him. At the wedding, Lou and Will enjoy offending the strait-laced guests. Lou learns from the bride’s godmother that she considers Will to be Alicia’s “one that got away”.
Will joins Lou’s family for dinner on her birthday, where they learn that Lou’s father had lost his job in a leveraged buyout that happened to have been organized by a younger associate of Will. Shortly thereafter, Lou’s father is offered the head of maintenance job at Stortfold Castle, which belongs to Will’s family, and Lou realizes that Will is trying to help her secure her freedom from her family. Gradually they develop strong feelings for one another, which makes Patrick jealous and causes problems in Lou’s seven-year long relationship, eventually leading to their break-up.
During a luxurious trip to the island of Mauritius together, undertaken after another bout with pneumonia and with help from Nathan, Will informs Lou that he still intends to follow through with the euthanasia. He wants her to live a full life instead of “half a life” with him. He says their time together has been special, but he cannot bear to live in a wheelchair. He asks her to accompany him to Switzerland to be with him through his last moments. Heartbroken, she informs Will’s parents upon arrival in London that she is quitting immediately and travels back to her home by bus. She does not speak to Will for the days that follow. However, at home, Lou’s father convinces her to go to Will. She finds out that he has already left for Switzerland, so she decides to go to Switzerland herself to be with Will in his final moments.
A few weeks after Will’s death, sitting in his favorite cafe in Paris, Lou rereads the letter Will left for her. In it, he encourages her to seek out a specific perfume shop and ends off the letter with “Just live.” He has left her enough money to follow her dreams.
CAST
- Emilia Clarke as Louisa “Lou” Clark[6]
- Sam Claflin as William “Will” Traynor[6]
- Jenna Coleman as Katrina “Treena” Clark[7]
- Charles Dance as Steven Traynor[7]
- Janet McTeer as Camilla Traynor[8]
- Matthew Lewis as Patrick[9]
- Brendan Coyle as Bernard Clark[9]
- Vanessa Kirby as Alicia Dewares[9]
- Ben Lloyd-Hughes[9] as Rupert Collins
- Steve Peacocke as Nathan
- Samantha Spiro[9] as Josie Clark
- Joanna Lumley[10] as Mary Rawlinson
movie time with tia 