To open my first blog entry/film diary I will be discussing my latest cinema trip, viewing the film ‘Me Before You’. As recently I have been starting my summer from leaving university, which has entailed creating a summer reading list as I have more time on my hands. During this search I have been surrounded by the novel ‘Me Before You’, which followed onto viewing the advertisement for the adaptation released in the cinema. The continuous reminder of this title ‘Me Before You’ has made me become more and more curious.
Now I have a rule where if I do not hear about the book before the film is about to be released then I would rather just go ahead and watch the film first. Then, later on in life if I enjoyed the film then I may go onto reading the novel at some point. However, I cannot leave it long enough where I am too attached to the film, because I have purchased the DVD and watched it too many times. This has become an unwanted habit, again leading me to visit the cinema and watch the film.
Going into the screen in the cinema, I only knew the information that the visuals from the advert gave me, of a man in a wheel chair and a young lady occupying him, assuming from the romance genre that they will fall in love. This information did not prepare me for what was going to come ahead. This film was a journey of all different emotions.
I’m embarrassed to say that I have not yet had the chance to watch the popular TV series Game of Thrones, therefore I do not know a lot about the actress Emilia Clarke. However, the casting was perfect with her playing the female lead Lou Clark. Lou Clark is a down-to-earth individual who has to work to support her family, which therefore prevents her from exploring the world. Her eccentric outfits compliment her personality, alongside her originality it makes you warm to her character. Her character provides the humour in a film which has an overall upsetting narrative. I found myself repeatedly laughing out loud from the blunt phrases she has to offer.
The mood changes and becomes a lot more serious towards the end of the film. This atmosphere is attached to the male lead Will Traynor (Sam Claflin), who we see at the start as a successful businessman, with a girlfriend and an expensive apartment, all until he gets run over by a motorbike. The accident leaves him with a spinal injury, paralysing him from the chest down. The characters meet through Will’s mother hiring Lou as a result of her bubbly personality, hoping it would cheer Will up. Sam Claflin does play Will excellently, the character is very believable through his acting, however for me the shining star in this film is Emilia Clarke. Also, I had in mind Eddie Redmayne’s award winning performance in the 2014 film ‘The Theory of Everything’ because of the disability factor, making me compare the two different performances.
The romance of the film is very much cliche, the female is sent to cheer up the male who has been in an accident, only for the male to help the female step out and experience the world, to do the things he can no longer do. However, the addictive character of Lou and the want to help Will does make you look past the cliche of the set up. It almost distracts you. The detail of the medical consequences of Will’s accident is visible throughout the film bringing in serious subjects such as assisted death. This subject dismisses the Hollywood aesthetics and makes you concentrate on the morals of the individuals. This is the moment your laughs turn to tears as the film becomes heartbreaking.
I walked out of the screening feeling shocked at the assisted death subject being brought up and heartbroken by the sudden turn around in the mood. However, the film makes you want to watch it again so you can experience the narrative journey of the characters and so you can get back the laughs. As a sentimental person it makes you think. Intelligently, the filmmakers leave you with the seriousness of the reality of the subjects rather than the swooshing romance.
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