Me Before You (2016)

Plot synopsis of Me Before You (2016)

William Traynor seemingly has the perfect life: a nice apartment, a beautiful girlfriend, and a high-powered corporate job. But this all changes one morning as he rushes to work in the rain. Busy on a phone call and not paying attention, he hails a taxi across the road. When a horn beeps, his eyes light up, and we hear the sound of tires screeching.

Luisa Clark appears to be a bright, bubbly young lady who always has a smile on her face. Dressed in her audacious outfits, she serves coffee, tea, and cakes to customers at the café where she works. All seems well, and she appears to be enjoying herself—until the café closes and her boss apologetically fires her.

It turns out that Luisa lives with her working-class family, all of whom are struggling to make ends meet. The money from her job wasn’t for Luisa herself, but for her family, so they could all get by. They argue about it over dinner, but Luisa’s mother is sure that she’ll find something the next day.

Luisa meets up with her boyfriend, Patrick, at the local athletics track. He gives her advice on how to get back on her feet, but she’s clearly down and doesn’t seem to want to hear it. He pushes her, telling her that if she wants work, she has to keep searching—something is out there. With nothing to lose, Luisa heads to an unemployment office.

We find out that she’s been through several jobs recently, having a hard time finding one she’s suited to. It’s gotten so bad that there are no jobs left except one. The officer tells her it’s a carer role for a disabled man. No experience is necessary, and it’s supposedly perfect for Luisa. She eagerly accepts.

The next day, Luisa goes for the interview. It’s a huge mansion that used to be a castle, implying the extreme wealth of her employers. Luisa is clearly very nervous. As expected, the interview gets off to a rocky start. Camilla Traynor is the one interviewing her, and her proper, elegant, almost regal personality clashes horribly with Luisa’s working-class roots.

Luisa babbles, unable to stop talking, but soon her charm and innocence shine through the onslaught of dribble. She’s convinced she won’t get the job—until Camilla asks if she can start right away. Luisa is thrilled. Camilla leads Luisa through the house to the annex, where she reveals that the role is actually for her son, who became a quadriplegic two years earlier.

As she explains the responsibilities, she makes it clear that Luisa is there more as a friend to Will than as a paid caregiver. It’s an odd description, but Luisa is simply happy to have a job. When Luisa finally meets Will, she’s thoroughly unsure. Bound to a wheelchair, with unkempt hair and a scruffy beard, Will immediately makes strange noises with his mouth, doing his best to make Luisa as uncomfortable as possible.

When he finally speaks, it’s with heavy sarcasm and a sense of loathing. Suddenly, this job isn’t looking so good. Back at home, Luisa returns to complete anarchy. The kitchen is a mess, and everyone looks overwhelmed. But when she reveals that she got the job, the entire family is elated. On her first day, Luisa gets a rundown on Will’s care from his physical therapist, Nathan.

He explains that she doesn’t have to worry about any heavy lifting or physical assistance. When she asks what she is supposed to do, he doesn’t really know. He suggests that her role is simply to cheer Will up. Her first solo interaction with Will goes terribly. She tries to convince him to leave the house or at least use his laptop to pass the time, but he responds with sarcasm and even cruelty.

He bluntly asks her if she could be less chatty around him—a final blow in what was already a horrid conversation. Luisa does her best not to appear upset, but it clearly hurts her. She eats lunch alone in the garden, isolated from everyone else. Despite the rocky start, Luisa sticks with the job. Every day, she shows up dressed in one of her bright outfits and does her best to appease Will.

Slowly, he seems more amused by her, though he still appears incapable of caring at all. Later, Luisa talks with her sister, Trina, about Will. The conversation shifts when Trina announces that she’s thinking of going back to her studies. Luisa is upset, knowing it means she’ll be left alone to look after their parents. Trina feels guilty but explains she has no choice. Luisa understands.

The next day, Luisa arrives to find that some of Will’s old friends have come to visit. Camilla seems uneasy, as if something is wrong. The visitors turn out to be Will’s best friend, Rupert, and his ex-girlfriend, Alicia. The atmosphere is tense and awkward, and Luisa listens with a pained expression.

Things worsen when Rupert reveals that he’s not only dating Alicia, but the two are also engaged. They wanted to tell Will together. Will is clearly heartbroken, though he masks it with bitterness and coldness. As Alicia leaves, she confides in Luisa that she wanted to stay with Will after the accident, but that you can’t help someone who doesn’t want to be helped.

Luisa says nothing, but the look on her face suggests she disagrees. After they leave, Luisa hears a loud crash from the other room. She rushes in to find Will’s framed photos smashed on the floor. It looks as if he ran into the cabinet and knocked them off himself. Luisa is with her boyfriend, Patrick, talking about Will. She can’t believe that Will’s best friend and ex got engaged, and she’s heartbroken for him.

Patrick, however, doesn’t seem to care. He’s far more interested in a holiday that he and Luisa are planning. He manages to convince her to agree to Norway, where there’s a race happening that Patrick wants to compete in with his friends. Luisa didn’t realize this at first, but once she does, she’s too nervous to speak up. She has no choice but to pretend to be excited for her and Patrick.

Back at Will’s house, Will catches Luisa fixing the photos he smashed the previous day. He tells her that he doesn’t want them fixed—that he hates looking at them, hates being reminded of who he used to be and who he is now. He snaps at her, and finally, having had enough, Luisa snaps back. She tells him to stop being an arse because she doesn’t deserve it. She then lets slip that she’s only doing the job because of how badly she needs the money. This seems to strike a chord with Will.

That afternoon, most unexpectedly, Will invites Luisa to watch a movie with him. She doesn’t like the kind of movies he watches—ones with subtitles—but she agrees. To his delight, she loves it. It’s the first real conversation they’ve had, and shockingly, Will then suggests they go outside. The conversation flows, and both seem to genuinely enjoy one another’s company. Even Camilla notices, and she looks rather pleased.

A trip to the hospital sees Nathan confide in Luisa just how hard Will’s life truly is. He explains that there’s no chance of recovery and, worse still, because of his condition, Will is extremely susceptible to illness and lives in constant pain. His life is even worse than Will makes it out to be. Later, at the movies with Patrick, Luisa suggests watching a foreign film. Patrick laughs it off and chooses a comedy instead.

That night, while it’s snowing outside, Will becomes sick. He’s running a fever, and his father asks Luisa to watch him closely. She does, growing increasingly worried as his condition worsens. She tries to call for help, but half-awake, Will tells her not to worry and insists he’ll be fine. The hours pass, and he only gets worse. Eventually, Nathan arrives, and when he sees Will’s condition, he panics.

He rushes to help, doing everything he can to make sure Will survives. It’s at this moment that Luisa notices marks on Will’s wrists and realizes that he had been lying about how he truly felt. Luisa stays with Will that night, even though she doesn’t have to. Sitting by his side, she watches an old birthday video made by his friends. In it, Will is a completely different person—full of life and joy.

Will later wakes to find her still there. They talk more, bond, and slowly, he begins to open up. Things take a dark turn when Luisa overhears Will’s parents arguing. Apparently, Will has made an arrangement that will allow him to end his life in Switzerland in six months’ time. Camilla is devastated and doesn’t want it to happen, but Will’s father believes it’s his son’s choice and that there’s nothing they can do.

Naturally, Luisa is shaken and considers leaving the job altogether. However, her sister points out that this doesn’t have to be the end. Instead, Luisa could spend the next six months doing everything she can to show Will that life is still worth living, even as a quadriplegic. Luisa approaches Will’s parents with her idea, and they agree that if she can get Will to leave the house with her, they’ll support her however they can.

Knowing Will won’t go willingly, Luisa lies and tells him that Nathan has never seen horse racing and really wants to go. They attend, and although Luisa is ecstatic, Will’s wheelchair immediately gets stuck in the mud. Will is embarrassed, but they call over some men to help lift him out. Despite the mishap, things improve, and Will even starts enjoying himself—until they try to eat at a restaurant that refuses to serve him.

Luisa causes a scene, which embarrasses Will and ends up ruining the day. Determined not to give up, Luisa tells Will that she’s bought tickets to a Mozart concert, as she’s never been before. Will looks hesitant but reluctantly agrees. That night, Luisa dresses to the nines, determined to look the part. Will also makes an effort, wearing a suit. Together, they look elegant.

The night is a huge success, and Will seems to enjoy Luisa’s company more than the concert itself. In fact, he enjoys it so much that when they return home, he asks to sit in the car a little longer and listen to music with her. She eagerly agrees. Luisa invites Will to her family’s house for dinner to celebrate her birthday. The evening goes reasonably well, despite a few awkward moments—until Patrick shows up.

His jealousy of Will becomes obvious. Will notices and deliberately plays into it, flirting with Luisa to provoke Patrick. An overly jealous Patrick gives Luisa a hideous piece of jewelry, which she pretends to love. Will, on the other hand, buys her a ridiculous pair of stockings, which she genuinely adores. The next day, Will takes Luisa on a tour of a nearby castle.

While standing on the battlements, he tells her about his favorite place in the world—Paris, and in particular, a small café he once loved. She tries to convince him to go, but he explains that he wants to experience it as the man he used to be, not who he is now. Back at home, Luisa’s dad celebrates getting a new job. It turns out Will’s father hired him to work maintenance at the castle.

Although Luisa is happy, she worries that the job was given for the wrong reasons. Will reassures her, explaining that this simply means she doesn’t have to carry everyone else’s burdens anymore—she can finally look after herself. It’s Rupert and Alicia’s wedding, and Will and Luisa attend together. What begins as an awkward affair slowly loosens up as Luisa drinks and forces Will to mingle.

One of Will’s friends, Mary, openly criticizes Alicia for leaving him, saying that Will is special and that Luisa should consider herself lucky to have met him.She agrees, and just to prove it, she forces Will onto the dance floor with her, sitting on his lap as his chair glides across the floor. They draw stares, but they don’t care. The night ends with Will racing down the road, Louisa on his lap, the two laughing into the night.

The next day, Will’s mother is worried that he was out all night, and Nathan is also concerned that Will was drinking. However, they both notice a change in him—he seems happier than before. Patrick and Louisa are training together. As they run, they try to plan their holiday, but Louisa remembers that she needs to be with Will during that time.

Patrick explodes, furious that she’s spending more time with Will than with him. She tries to explain that she has to, but Patrick storms off in anger, ignoring everything she’s done for him. Louisa soon learns that Will is still planning to end his life. Still, she believes that if she gives it one more chance—maybe, just maybe—she can convince him otherwise. Determined to save Will’s life, she plans a huge holiday.

The night before she leaves, Patrick surprises her with dinner. However, when he discovers that she’s going on the trip with Will, he becomes furious. It looks like a honeymoon to him, and he accuses her of ditching their holiday for another. Patrick storms off, refusing to listen to reason. The holiday appears perfect.

The weather is beautiful, and they spend their days by the pool and the beach. That night, as a storm rages outside, Louisa helps Will get comfortable in bed. The mood softens, and she climbs in beside him. Despite everything, she leans in, and the two share a kiss—soft, romantic, and perfect in every way. The next day is just as wonderful, and Louisa seems to be floating on air.

But that night, she admits her feelings for Will, and everything turns sour. Despite how Will feels, despite the love he clearly has for her, he still intends to end his life when the time comes. Louisa calls him selfish, but Will explains that he can’t live this life—it isn’t truly his. He also doesn’t want her to end up resenting him for all the things he can no longer do for her.

Louisa refuses to accept this. After crying her eyes out, she storms off, heartbroken. But Will is just as devastated. They return home from the holiday, and everything feels different. Despite his parents’ hope that there might still be a chance, one look at Louisa’s face confirms their worst fears. Louisa admits that there’s nothing more she can do, and Camilla breaks down in tears.

That night, Louisa tells her parents everything that’s been happening. Her mother is furious, but her father is calmer. He explains that you can’t change people—the best you can do is love them for who they are and hope that it’s enough. That’s when Louisa realizes she’s made a terrible mistake. She shouldn’t be away from Will during his final moments—she should be with him.

She travels to Switzerland, where Will has gone, and on his last day, she supports him in the only way she knows how. She lies beside him, they kiss, and they simply hold each other. It’s a quiet, perfect moment. A few days later, Louisa is in Paris, visiting the same café Will once told her he loved. Through voiceover, we learn that Will left her a final letter. In it, he thanks her for everything she did and asks her to move on—to not let him hold her back.

He reveals that he left her a large inheritance, enough for her to finally be free and stop carrying everyone else’s burdens. The story ends with Louisa walking through the streets of Paris, a new life ahead of her.

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Full movie recap of Me Before You (2016)