Me Before You

***Spoilers ahead***

Recently "Me before you"  has been turned into a film, so in this post I will be commenting on the book to film journey and whether the film follows the book or if it's all gone completely wrong and our favourite (sort of) couple have been ruined. I'll be deciding how similar the two are whilst discussing major plot points and themes in the book. Also I will be talking about the actors/characters themselves, seeing if the actors truly brought such wonderful characters to life exactly as they are written or even added their own essence to the character.  Additionally I am also going to discuss the criticism the film has been given and commenting on it, stating whether I agree or disagree. Finally coming to a conclusion as to whether the book and film are truly the same or if the film is even better than the book or vice versa.

Me before you is a tragic love story set in a small village in England, it follows the life of Louisa Clark a quirky fashionista during a difficult time in her life. The book starts with her jobless but quickly she is offered a job as a carer for a sarcastic quadriplegic, Will Trainer. He plays a huge part in turning Louisa's life around, making her realise her dreams and giving her the chance to be brave. Whilst Will has a major impact on Louisa she manages to influence him too, she brings out a much lighter, happier version of him. These two slowly become closer and closer, sharing their life's and eventually falling in love. However all good love stories end with a tragedy and this book certainly doesn't disappoint. 

The film doesn't stray too far from the book and the main characters and plot are completely unchanged. Firstly I personally felt that the film literally jumped out of the book pages it was so similar and unlike other films in which some major details are left out. The film seemed to stay true to the book, however there were a few scenes/characters from the book that were left out and I definitely found needed to be included.

 My first criticism is that Louisa's attack was left out of the film, I felt it was a real insight to her character. It seemed to create a bond between Will and Louisa in the book, both having dark events in their lives. Also I found that it helped to emphasis Louisa's character and let is know where her happy, bright exterior came from. Additionally it could have been a real chance to educate young women about not being afraid to speak up and not to blame yourself. Next I thought that the relationship between Patrick and Louisa was neglected in the film, whilst they weren't my favourite chapters in the book they managed to emphasis how trapped Louisa actually was in her small village with a boyfriend she had been with most of her life. So I do feel like there could of been more scenes with Patrick and Louisa put into the film, especially the scenes in which she moved in because it would of really brought more personality to Patrick as well. 

Thirdly I was very disappointed in not seeing Will's sister Georgina play a part in this film, she only had a small part in the book but an important one in being Will's sister and showing a more honest side of living with a quadriplegic. Finally I don't feel like Louisa's family, especially her grandad got enough screen time and this meant they lacked the enthusiastic personality that is so present in the book. This excludes Katrina who was still central in the plot. I just truly feel that Louisa's home life was washed over to make room for more Will scenes. I'm happy to have so many scenes with the two together, however the lack of home life really lets Louisa's personality down because we don't know too much about her as we do in the book because her home life is major in the story. 

Now I must talk about a very important part in this film ... the actors. What do I think about them? THEY WERE AMAZING. I honestly don't feel like they could of had a better cast, Sam Claflin was a wonderful Will and surprised me in the way he played the very demanding roll. The roll being so challenging because he couldn't move his body and show any body language to imply his emotions, he did a brilliant job at using his facial expressions and voice. They are what made him so wonderful! His tone was always fitting and the exaggerated but sometimes subtle facial expressions or eye movements really caught me. I could still sense how he was feeling without the body language. Another central character was Louisa Clark, played by the talented, fantastic Emilia Clarke. She did an outstanding job as Louisa and brought so much personality and flare to the roll. Also I weirdly feel like her eyebrows brought something to the film too, the exaggerated use of them in her facial expressions really showed me how similar she was to book Louisa. She was perfect for the roll. I can't imagine anyone else playing her. The use of her clothes and awkwardness really established who she was, and made her stand out just like Louisa from the book. She played the roll so well and I definitely don't think anyone was disappointed with her acting.  

Furthermore there has been a lot of criticism surrounding the film. The major one being that an actual quadriplegic doesn't play the role of Will. Also many are angry at how disabled people are pictured in the film. As sad, rude, sarcastic people who want to end their life's because they aren't normal no more. Many feel that he positive side of disability isn't shown in film, which I agree with. However I feel they every story is different and this one just wasn't a positive one, I'm sure there are books with a more positive view of the disabled community exists out there but without the death of Will the story wouldn't have been the same. Moreover the idea that a quadriplegic actor should of played Will is something I definitely agree with as its important for all voice to be heard and roles to be given to people who fit the actual criteria. Although I think this I do love Sam Claflins acting, his chemistry with Emilia and his take on Will's character. I don't feel that anyone else could have brought as much passion or energy to the film. Also I worry about eh practicality of an actual quadriplegic playing the role, whilst I believe they may be fully able to do so. There condition may be hard to deal with on set and perhaps even dangerous and I don't believe anyones safety should be put at risk for the sake of fitting the criteria of a role. 

In conclusion I definitely believe that the film and book are basically one, the script is extremely accurate, matching lines from the book perfectly. The plot and characters are the same and no massively major parts are changed or cut out. My only criticism is the lack of Louisa's past/home life. I recommended you read this book and watch the film as its worth it, they are so similar and you won't be disappointed with either of them. Although I do think the film is fantastic I do have to say though the book is a lot better because their is so much more detail and context.