'Me Before You' film sparks outrage among people with disabilities
"Me Before You," a romantic comedy starring "Game of Thrones" star Emilia Clarke and "The Hunger Games" actor Sam Claflin, is set to be shown in the United States on June 3. However, even before it hits theaters, it has already received backlash from the disabled community.
According to an article on The Independent, the movie gives the impression or the message that death is better than having a disability. This kind of presentation, says the article, is damaging to disabled young people, to the public perception on disability, as well as to the life and aspirations of the people with disability themselves.
"This film is offensive to disabled people, the vast majority of whom want to live – not die," said actor Liz Carr, as quoted by Disability News Service. "Our lives and those of our loved ones are not mired in tragedy, as depicted in this film."
Carr, a disabled actor and member of the anti-euthanasia campaign organization Not Dead Yet UK, took part in a protest at the Curzon Mayfair cinema in London's West End last week.
The film centers on Louisa (Clarke) who works as caregiver for quadriplegic banker Will (Claflin). It is said that by the end of the movie, Will goes to Switzerland for the purpose of undergoing assisted suicide because he no longer wants live as a disabled person and would rather die than be a burden to Louisa, the woman he loves.
Lauren West of the Trailblazers network of young disabled campaigners said their members were "deeply troubled" by the premise and trailer of the film. For one, a non-disabled actor was cast for a disabled role; and for another, that the disabled character chooses to die.
"To have the disabled character choose suicide as an outcome is an alarming and misleading representation of life for many people with disabilities," West said. "When a disability storyline finally happens, it is misleading, inaccurate and sends out the wrong message. Disabled people are crying out for fair representation, and accurate portrayals. Me Before You does nothing towards achieving this."
The online community had not been silent about the movie either.
The NYD UK Twitter account has a post that reads: "Our lives are not tragic, pathetic pitiful. This film is. Disabled people the world over #LiveBoldly #MeBeforeYou."
It also comes with an image of the film poster, but the message goes: "Me Before You is not a romance. It's an insult to disabled people." It also says, "#Live Boldly? We already do! #MeBeforeEuthanasia."
Baroness Jane Campbell, a disabled peer and co-founder of NDY UK, reportedly tweeted author Jojo Moyes, whose book the film is based on, asking, "Are you taking on board disabled people's grave concerns about the film?"
Claflin is believed to have been forced to quit a live Twitter Q&A after having been bombarded with questions like "Why should I have to sit here tweeting about how us disabled people WANT TO LIVE?" and "How do you feel about profiting off the message that death is better than disability?"
"Me Before You" has thus far received 54 percent on Rotten Tomatoes' tomatometer based on 24 reviews, as well as a metascore 54 out of 100 on Metacritic based on nine critic reviews.