Live Well With "Me Before You"

Victoria Baek

There’s something peculiar about September through December. Between the endless exams and lack of long weekends, autumn is a melting pot of emotions. Worst of all, it’s the time of year when I decide to watch a soul-crushing romance movie and this year’s choice was “Me Before You” (2016). 

I’ll admit, I ugly-cried watching cheerful Louisa Clark and sarcastic Will Traynor, two opposites who transform each other. Clark, someone who had struggled in her large, working-class family, stepped into Traynor’s massive estate as a caregiver for Traynor, a charismatic entrepreneur who has been paralyzed after an accident. 

However, underneath the romance lies a controversial debate. Traynor, who is unable to accept the drastic differences in his life following the accident, plans to end his life by the conclusion of the film. The movie, and subsequently the writer, framed his decision as rational, but it enraged the public who viewed it as a romanticization of suicide. 

Many critics have called the film “ableist,” contending that it advocates for baseless stereotypes and diminishes those with disabilities, framing Traynor’s death as a net positive for Clark, who is left with his money. However, author Jojo Moyes stated that the novel was inspired by a real-life news story of a paralyzed athlete, who took his own life, inviting the audience to question complex themes of personal autonomy and love.

The movie comes to its conclusion when Clark decides to travel to Paris alone. In a note Traynor left before his passing, he writes, “You are scored on my heart… the first day you walked in with your sweet smile and your ridiculous clothes and your bad jokes and your complete inability to ever hide a single thing you felt. Just live well. I'll be walking beside you every step of the way.” The sentiment is sweet, though the meaning is nothing short of heartbreak.

While I understand the criticism that “Me Before You” can come across as ableist, through its rompy love story and picturesque background, I don’t believe it was the film’s intention to diminish those with disabilities. Instead, it shows the truth that fulfillment looks and feels different for everyone, and how responses to these differences vary. In my opinion, the film’s strength is its honesty about human limitations. “Me Before You” isn’t a guide for how to live or die—it is a reminder about what living well means for ourselves.