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Me Before You is a romantic fictional drama filmed that was released in 2016. It covers an expected relationship between Lou and Will, who was paralyzed from the neck down after an accident and is now a quadrapolegic.

Lou takes a job and Will’s caregiver, he is very cold to her and makes her feel unwelcome. He is struggling accepting what his life now looks like and battles depression from grieving his old adventurous life. Lous’ optimistic and upbeat personality breaks Will out of his shell as she tries to show him how fulfilling life can be still, they form a close bond. Will wants to go through with an assisted suicide, as much as Lou tries, she cannot change his mind. Before he goes through with it, he reminds her to live her life to the fullest.

The audience is asked to feel sympathetic for Will as he goes through this life altering event yet also depicts how disability can be a barrier in Will’s case to a fulfilling life. The audience reflects on quality of life and relationships while also showing societal perceptions of disability. Wills wealth gives him control over his life and outcome.

One scene that reinforces my interpretation, occurs when Lou organizes an adventurous outing to show Will the beauty of life beyond his physical limitations at a classical music concert. Despite Will’s initial reluctance, he appears to enjoy the experience, laughing and sharing an emotional moment with Lou. She puts on a gorgeous red dress and we see joy on Will’s face and the happiness they share after as he whisks her away on his wheelchair. He smiles as he watches her watch the concert and at the end of the night he says he loved it. He then asks to sit in the car with her longer “to just be a man in a car with a girl in a red dress.” This scene is significant as it showcases Lou’s determination to bring joy into Will’s life and his fleeting moments of happiness. However, it also highlights the underlying message in the film’s narrative: no matter how much joy Lou brings into Will’s life, he ultimately remains sure in his decision to end his life, underscoring the film’s suggestion that life with a disability is inherently undesirable and that the joyous moments don’t overpower the will to want to leave.

The potential impact of this depiction is negative and concerning. By presenting Will’s decision as inevitable, despite the love and support around him, the film frames life with a disability as a loss of a meaningful and happy life worth living. For viewers, this may reinforce harmful societal perceptions that disability means you cannot have a high and happy quality of life. Despite his money, a girl, and newfound happiness- nothing is enough. This is a view that overlooks the fulfilling, happy and meaningful lives that many people with disabilities may have.

In the film the good and the bad are shown. Lou is Wills “good”, she’s kind hearted, optimistic, full of life and inner joy. She shows Will the joys of life and finding the good in the simplest of things, While the two fall in love, it shows that for Will, it isn’t enough for him to be happy and fulfilled. This is a moral call as Will ultimately makes his own choice about assisted suicide, it shows a reflection of WIlls own desires and level of suffering. There isn’t much in the movie to challenge ableist views, ultimately framing Will’s life as unbreakable, and undesirable despite a lover who brings out the best of each day and shows that life can still be enjoyed.

Despite Will’s wealth and privilege, he loses almost all independence. Lou starts off as powerless in respect to not having wealth or privilege or much of an impact on Will’s life but gains purpose and relevance as she cares for Will. This shows how powerful relationships are in one’s life and can contribute to purpose and emotional power. We see Lou’s personal growth as she gains confidence and ambitions and ultimately with a broadened perspective of life. Lou showed Will how to embrace life and he showed her how to be confident and gave her new perspectives and views on life. While this story is fiction it could easily be realistic and something that has or could genuinely happen. Because Will goes through with suicide despite falling in love with Louisa and being shown he can enjoy life, stereotypes of disabilities are further depicted. I do think it is important to recognize Will knew a very different life before disability as opposed to being born with it. He had many things taken away and changed suddenly which is difficult and important to see. He made his choice to end his life rapidly. However, this messaging could be damaging to viewers in wheelchairs or those with disabilities, as it suggests their lives are inherently unhappy or less valuable. The narrative narrowly focuses on what is lost due to disability, rather than exploring how Will could have adapted, found purpose, and redefined fulfillment. It misses an opportunity to challenge stereotypes and portray an empowering perspective of disability. Overall, this is a negative thing. It reinforces the idea that disabilities make life undesirable and define what life can look like. There are so many who live fulfilling lives with their disabilities and this was not depicted. It overlooks that many people live lives of joy, happiness and fulfillment while also having a disability.

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