Emilia Clarke’s Controversial 9-Year-Old Film Gets a Streaming Surge on Prime Video

The romantic drama movie Me Before You was subject to controversy at the time of its release in 2016. After nine years, the film is finding a new audience on streaming.

Per FlixPatrol, Me Before You is currently ranked at No. 6 globally for streaming movies available on Prime Video. At the time of its release, the film was a big box office success, earning over $208 million against a $20 million budget. Critics were split, as the film is scored at 54% on Rotten Tomatoes, though it has a much higher audience score of 73%. It was also the winner of the Favorite Dramatic Movie at the People’s Choice Awards.

In Me Before You, Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones, Terminator: Genisys) stars as Lou, a woman hired as a caregiver for a man, Will (Sam Claflin), who was rendered tetraplegic after a devastating accident. Upon learning that Will plans to end his life through assisted suicide because of his condition, Lou does her best to change his mind. As the two grow much closer romantically, Lou struggles to accept Will’s decision, as he worries about becoming a burden on her life. For the sake of avoiding spoilers for those who have yet to watch it, we’ll avoid divulging how things ended up here.

Me Before You Generated Protests in 2016

The plot of Me Before You did not sit well with some supporters of the disability rights movement. It was argued that the movie sends the message that disabled persons are seen as burdens to their families and caregivers, while simultaneously advocating for suicide. Others criticized the film for having non-disabled actors playing disabled characters, suggesting that the community was being exploited without having real representation.

A movement to protest the film was launched on different continents. Dubbed #MeBeforeEuthanasia, the protests saw the participation of various disabled actors, including Liz Carra and Mik Scarlet in the UK, as well as Dominick Evans and Emily Ladau in the United States. Additionally, there were protests against the film in Australia.

In response to the backlash, author Jojo Moyes — who wrote the original book the film is based on — previously said, “The fact is, in the film as in the book, nobody else agrees with what he decides to do. This is not by any means sending out a message. It’s just about one character – it’s nothing more than that.”

Moyes also wrote the screenplay for the movie, which was directed by Thea Sharrock. Other stars include Janet McTeer, Charles Dance, Brendan Coyle, Steve Peacocke, Matthew Lewis, Jenna Coleman, Samantha Spiro, Vanessa Kirby, Joanna Lumley, and Ben Lloyd-Hughes.