As busy I get from time to time, I find that I can't see every movie under the sun, leaving my friends and colleagues to fill in the blanks for me. As poetically as I think I wax about movies on this website as a wannabe critic, there are other experts out there. Sometimes, it inspires me to see the movie too and get back to being my circle's go-to movie guy. Sometimes, they save me $9 and you 800+ words of blathering. In a new review series, I'm opening my site to friend submissions for guest movie reviews.

TODAY’S CRITIC: Adrian Johansen

Adrian is a guest writer who submitted a review of Me Before You in the life lessons style that matches Every Movie Has a Lesson. She put together a very nice review and breakdown that was very worth sharing. Enjoy!

The popular romantic 2016 film Me Before You was based on a best-selling book by Jojo Moyes. The film follows a young woman, Lou (Emilia Clarke), who finds herself suddenly without unemployment and with no real direction in life when it comes to what she might end up doing. She is ‘stuck’ living at home with her parents, in a relationship with a self-centered man, and has given up dreams of a career in fashion to help support her family.

On her first day on the job as a personal caregiver, she meets Will Trainor (Sam Clafin), a man who is used to life in high society, but who suffered being hit by a motorcycle. It has left him paralyzed from the neck down and contributes to a variety of different health issues.

Throughout the film, Will goes from nearly loathing Lou to falling in love with her. But it’s not your typical romantic comedy and deals with a variety of heavy topics including mental health issues, loneliness, love, assisted suicide, and living life to the fullest.

Let’s cover some of the biggest lessons you can take away from this heartfelt movie, and how it goes far beyond your typical love story.

Live Without Regrets

At one point in the film, Clafin’s character Will says to Lou that “you only get one life. It’s actually your duty to live it as fully as possible.”

Will says that while living in a wheelchair, but Lou has found herself ‘paralyzed’ in a different way. She gave up on her dreams to help her family, she hasn’t done any traveling in life, and she really doesn’t seem to live her life to the fullest. Will helps her with that, thanks in part to his social status and wealth. But it’s an incredible lesson to learn for everyone.

There are moments throughout the movie where you can see the expression on Will’s face change, as though he wishes he could have done things differently. He may tell Lou to live life fully because he has regrets in his own life. It seems as though he wants Lou to avoid having any regrets in life, too, and that’s a lesson we can all take away.

The Importance of Mental Health

About 1 in 5 people in the U.S. alone have a mental health condition of some kind. It’s very clear that after his accident, Will Trainor is struggling with depression. So much so, in fact, that Lou quickly finds out he is planning on ending his life with physician-assisted suicide.

There comes a time, then, that Lou is there to provide certain aspects of end-of-life care for him. Will had made the decision to end his life before Lou came into it. Even after meeting her, falling in love with her, and having her beg him to change his mind, he stayed with his original decision. Many times, during end-of-life care, there is shared decision-making. In this case, however, it was Will’s choice to end his life. Thus, it became Lou’s job to:

Provide comfort
Be a steady hand
Make sure Will is confident in his decision
Support him until the end

Aspects of broken communication occurred between Will and Lou because of his decision, because she wanted him to stay and couldn’t support his wishes at first. By the end of the film, not only was she his caregiver but also his partner. While in the real world this might cause some ethical issues, it created a more heartbreaking story for the book/film.

Obviously, this isn’t the ending that many viewers of the film wanted. But it speaks volumes to the importance of mental health care around the globe. Finding a support system and someone to talk to can help you to manage the symptoms of anxiety or depression, and this film shows just how much Will needed someone like Lou to confide in.

Finding Beauty in the Little Things

Lou is meant to be a somewhat ‘quirky’ character with an original sense of style and a love for the little things in life. Because she hasn’t experienced many extravagant moments, she appreciates the small things that she has grown up with, from a pair of bumblebee tights to memories with her family. Many life lessons can be learned from Louisa Clark including:

Always showing kindness
Showing no fear in standing out
Not being afraid to grow
Seeing the best in people
Embracing the unexpected

Even though Will’s life was cut short, Louisa’s energy did rub off on him toward the end of his life. He went from being in a continuously depressed state to happy and somewhat fulfilled. He ended up looking forward to their morning routine together whenever she would show up. That’s more than just an aspect of the movie used to build on their meet-cute; it’s scientifically proven that a morning routine has psychological benefits, including increased creativity.

While Me Before You might not be a traditional romantic comedy or even a traditional feel-good film, there are many life lessons that you can take away. It’s a movie that, like many others, can make you love life. If you’ve seen it before, it may be worth watching again with a different perspective.

CONCLUSION

Thank you, Adrian! You are welcome anytime. Friends, if you see a movie that I don't see and want to be featured on my website, hit up my website's Facebook page and you can be my next GUEST CRITIC!