"Live boldly. Live well. Just live." The trailer for Director Thea Sharrock's new film "Me Before You" promises a unique romance between mysterious quadriplegic Will and his quirky caregiver Louisa. Just as you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, however, you shouldn't judge this movie by its trailer. What begins as the expected romance quickly turns dark with the introduction of a controversial twist. (Beware of spoilers.)
The film opens with the ever-hopeful Louisa Clark hunting for a job after her boss closes the cafe she had worked at for years. This is how she comes to get hired as a caregiver for the wealthy Will Traynor, who had been paralyzed in an accident two years earlier. It takes her a while to break past his cynical and witty exterior, but when she does it becomes clear that the two have a connection. Things change, however, when (Spoilers!) Louisa overhears a conversation between Will's parents about his plans for physician assisted suicide in six months. Will has already attempted to end his own life, so Louisa was hired to make sure he doesn't attempt to hurt himself again. Determined to change Will's mind about the decision to end his life, Louisa plans trips and activities for them to do together, despite his physical limitations. After a bout of pneumonia, Will is still able to travel with Louisa and another caretaker to a luxury vacation on a tropical island. There, he and Louisa bond over nights on the beach and watching a storm through the windows of his hotel room. On the last night of the trip, Louisa kisses Will and confesses her knowledge of his plan to end his life. She admits that she loves him but he says that it is not enough for him to keep living in his current state, so he will carry on his plan of assisted suicide. Louisa leaves her job with Will's family once they return to England. Through her conflicting emotions, however, Louisa flies to Switzerland to be by Will's side as he ends his life.
The controversy around the assisted suicide of a disabled man has raised much attention on social media. Disabilities rights campaigners protested at the film's Australian premiere, claiming that the movie promotes a harmful message: that quadriplegics and disabled people are better off dead. The hashtag #MeBeforeEuthanasia surfaced in Australia and the United States shortly after the film's premiere. Disability rights activist Jax Jacki Brown told SBS "[the movie] reinforces the idea in the minds of the non-disabled public that having a disability is a terrible tragedy when many of us feel that it is an important part of who we are and are proud of our disability identity."
Not Dead Yet, a "disability rights group that opposes legalization of assisted suicide and euthanasia as deadly forms of discrimination", also called for a boycott of the movie. They believe that "Me Before You" is a disability snuff film that promotes ableism- discrimination in favor of those who are able-bodied. The group asks that its members also encourage others to boycott the movie. Many others are not happy that Will, a quadriplegic, is played by Sam Claflin, an able-bodied actor.
Emilia Clarke, who plays the role of Louisa, explained to The Guardian that the movie's intention was not to devalue disabled people. She said, “we were very careful with how we wanted to present things. And we are showing a situation, we are not showing an opinion.”
Author Jojo Moyes, whose novel inspired the 2016 film, was surprised at the amount of backlash the movie received. Moyes told Stylist that her novel was based on a real story, and that the choice that Will faces is "difficult to judge". She said that the basis of the film revolves around a difficult choice and a woman who tries to come to terms with it, not any greater message about people with disabilities and right or wrongs of euthanasia.
Cosmopolitan spoke with 30-year-old quadriplegic mom and author Rachelle Friedman, who disagrees with the backlash the film has received. Her main concern was that Will was going to end his life in order to not be a burden to Louisa and his family, but in the end she feels that the choice he made was for himself. While she wouldn't have made the same choice that Will made, she believes in his right to choose assisted suicide and understands why he may have felt how he felt. She believes that the movie did not show how Will suffered from his injuries, both physically and mentally.
Jojo Moyes book offers significantly more detail into Will's suffering as a quadriplegic, the struggles of many of the characters coming to terms with his decision, and the conflicts of morality when it comes to the right of assisted suicide.
