Review of Me Before You (2016) by Matt B — 17 Jun 2016

I have watched two films about quadriplegia this week.

The Theory of Everything is the brilliant real-life account of Stephen Hawkings and his incredible first wife, through their struggle and hardship of the onset of his illness, through to their divorce - magnificently directed and acted, and portrayed with real dignity and worth. It teaches you something about human existence and strength.

The other, Me before You, is a fictional romantic comedy idealisation of suffering with cringe-worthy acting, poor direction, glib soundtrack choices and offensively on-the-nose dialogue. It is also, incidentally, about euthanasia. But not in a serious way. That would be too correct and not fun.

I found the former utterly rewarding and a delight, and the latter utterly offensive. As someone who has had a serious illness, and with at least two years where I seriously did not wish to exist, I can see how in the absence of potential for recovery and with the presence of great pain and infirmity, euthanasia might become a viable option. There is a serious film to be made about such things. It should be well-acted, with greater insight, directorship, and dignity. It should be on-the-nose in the right way. Maybe such a film already exists, I am not any sort of film buff.

But what it should not be, ever, is a whimsical sexual fantasy for working-class females.