There have been a few excellent, heart-wrenching movies made in recent years about disabled men being looked after by caring attendants. Those that immediately come to mind are The Intouchables (2011) with François Cluzet and Omar Sy, The Sessions (2012) featuring John Hawkes and Helen Hunt, and The Theory of Everything (2014) starring Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones. Now comes Me Before You – and this one is even more of a charmer.
It may be a truism to suggest that often you find love where you least expect it and sometimes it takes you where you never expected to go … But such is the case with Louisa “Lou” Clark (Clarke), who lives in a quaint town in the English countryside. With no clear direction in her life, the quirky and creative 26-year-old, who prides herself on her bright attire, goes from one job to the next in order to help her tight-knit, loving family make ends meet. You see, dad is out of work. Her normally cheery outlook is put to the ultimate test when she faces her newest career challenge.
Taking a position at the local “castle”, she becomes caregiver and companion to Will Traynor (Claflin), 31, a wealthy young banker who became wheelchair bound in an accident two years earlier. His whole world changed dramatically in the blink of an eye. No longer the adventurous soul he once was, the now cynical Will has all but given up. He has lost the desire to live and keeps everyone at a distance with his caustic, overbearing attitude. But unlike his family, Lou refuses to tiptoe around him or cater to his moods. In fact, her sparkling personality and easy nature are hard for even Will to ignore. Lou determines to show him that life is, indeed, worth living and his disposition changes as a result.
Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs) and Charles Dance (The Imitation Game) are cast as Traynor’s well-to-do parents, while Australian actor Stephen Peacocke has a role as his physical therapist.I am not gilding the lily when I say that Emilia Clarke is a sheer delight from start to finish. She relishes the role of caregiver and stamps her own mark on it from her very first frame. Who won’t fall in love with her? In fact, her whole family – including her parents and older sister – are delightful, charming and well centred. Clarke’s smile lights up every scene as do her bold clothing choices, not to overlook her boundless energy and enthusiasm. Resistance is futile and so it proves for the understandably taciturn Traynor, over whom female audience members will swoon. He plays dignified but obstinate. Peacocke, too, is building a Hollywood CV, with recent films including Whiskey Tango Foxtrot and Hercules.
I loved the journey on which movie took me. The settings and scenery, too, are the stuff of picture postcards – breathtaking, magnificent, opulent. Jojo Moyes has crafted a story that tugs at the heartstrings, material which Sharrock, traditionally a theatre director, handles with aplomb.
Above all though it is Emlia Clarke whose aura shines brightest and who makes Me Before You so eminently watchable. Rated PG, it scores an 8 out of 10.
Director: Thea Sharrock
Cast: Emilia Clarke, Sam Claflin, Matthew Lewis
Release Date: 16 June 2016
Rating: PG – Mild themes, sexual references and coarse language
Alex First
David Edwards is the editor of The Blurb and a contributor on film and television