There is a title that, even after years, keeps coming back among the most-watched on Netflix – in these days it has climbed back up into the global Top 10 of the most-watched movies worldwide – and keeps sparking heated discussions, especially when it comes to love, extreme choices, and personal freedom. It’s a story that puts love back at the center, but does so without sugarcoating it, forcing viewers to confront difficult choices and uncomfortable questions.
Me Before You is one of those melodramas that can win over a huge audience while sharply dividing critics. A sentimental story that uses the codes of romantic cinema to tackle much more uncomfortable and profound themes. Here’s all the info on Me Before You (Me Before You): plot, cast, reviews. You’ll find the trailer at the end of the article.
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- Title: Me Before You
- Original title: Me Before You
- Format: Movie
- Duration: 1h 50m
- Country: USA
- Original language: English
- Genre: Romance, drama, melodrama
- Director: Thea Sharrock
- Main cast: Emilia Clarke, Sam Claflin, Janet McTeer
- Production: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, New Line Cinema
At the center of the story is Louisa Clark, a quirky, unpredictable young woman who gets by with temporary jobs to help her family make ends meet. Her life changes when she is hired as the personal caregiver of Will Traynor, a once-brilliant young banker who was left quadriplegic after an accident two years earlier. Two opposite worlds that meet out of necessity, not by choice.
The movie builds its balance on a relationship made of friction, wit, and growing complicity, constantly moving along the borderline between romantic comedy and existential drama. Here, love becomes a narrative tool to question the value of life, the right to choose, and the limits of hope, without ever turning into a simple feel-good story.
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Main cast and characters
The emotional core of Me Before You inevitably runs through its performers, who are called on to sustain a story that lives more on glances, silences, and contrasts than on explicit dialogue. Emilia Clarke brings to life Louisa “Lou” Clark, a bright, eccentric young woman, far from the stereotypes of classic romantic comedy. Known to the general public for Game of Thrones, Clarke completely changes register here, creating a character who is both fragile and full of life, able to bring lightness without ever trivializing the pain that runs through the story.
At her side is Sam Claflin as Will Traynor, a former brilliant and privileged banker who is now quadriplegic after an accident. Claflin, seen in The Hunger Games and If I Stay, plays Will with measured restraint, steering clear of easy sentimentality and bringing out all the complexity of a man torn between clarity, anger, and the desire to keep control over his own life. The cast is rounded out by Janet McTeer and Charles Dance, who play Will’s parents.
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Is the movie based on a true story?
No. Me Before You is the film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Jojo Moyes, published in 2012. The story is therefore fictional, but it is rooted in real issues and concrete ethical debates, particularly those related to disability and assisted euthanasia, which helped make the movie so controversial.
Our review
Me Before You moves across a rough emotional landscape, combining romantic melodrama and moral reflection, with particular attention to the characters and their choices. It’s not a movie that tries to please everyone, but precisely for this reason it remains one of the most talked-about and remembered titles of its genre. Worth appreciating are the chemistry between the leads and the movie’s ability to move viewers without giving up a certain narrative lightness. The audience made this 2016 title an immediate success, also rewarding the movie with the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Dramatic Movie.
When to watch Me Before You on Netflix
The movie has been available on Netflix since September 1, 2016 ► WATCH ON NETFLIX
