If Me Before You were a Singapore film, it should feature…
Remember the devilishly handsome Sam Claflin, who played Finnick Odair in The Hunger Games trilogy? As you might have expected, those gorgeous, dreamy green eyes have landed him a role in a romance flick and it’s showing at cinemas now: Me Before You.
He’s a city-worn wealthy young banker who has not only become wheelchair-bound after an accident, but also a hardened cynic. So it’s up to Louis “Lou” Clark (Emilia Clarke), a quirky 26-year-old country girl, to show him that life is still worth living. It’s a typical Von Trapp/Maria type of romance – the female lead is as cheery and whimsical as the male protagonist is gloomy and stern.
It’s not that I want to give away the plot, but anyone who has seen the movie poster and watched the trailer can effectively guess the ending. Diehard romance junkies will probably still watch it for the “how”.
The poster screams “Happily ever after”
But if this were not a romance film but a Singaporean production, the movie title “Me Before You” alone lends itself to so many possibilities! Here are five movie synopses featuring Singaporean scenarios we thought you’re sure to identify with.
1. Inconsiderate drivers who don’t give way to emergency vehicles
Named and shamed. (Credit: www.transport.asiaone.com)
You’d have seen them on STOMP all the time – the drivers with the me-before-you mentality. They refuse to give way to emergency vehicles, usually an ambulance. They hog the overtaking lane on expressways, oblivious to flashing red lights and blaring sirens, changing lanes reluctantly maybe when the ambulance driver deploys a loudhailer and addresses the offending driver by his car plate number.
Do these drivers think that they can drive faster than the ambulance and therefore do not need to give way? Or that they really didn’t know there was an ambulance behind them, because they don’t check their rear view mirror at all when they drive? Maybe they can’t hear, because their hearing aids are not plugged in?
Another incident which raised eyebrows involved a driver who kicked up a big fuss on Facebook when a sheltered pick-up/drop-off bay at a HDB estate was occupied by an ambulance on a rainy day. The Singapore Civil Defence Force politely responded with an explanation that the ambulance was there to convey a woman, who had suffered an acute heart attack, to hospital. If the needs of a heart-attack patient shouldn’t come before yours, I don’t know whose does.
2. People who don’t hold the lift for you
Waaaaait! (Credit: www.huffpost.com)
It could be a neighbour, colleague or random stranger. That someone at the lift controls sees you running towards them, and, instead of waiting for you to come through the doors, they press the “close door” button urgently.
Me-before-you in this case could run both ways, though. You can say that the inconsiderate person is the one who delays an entire load of passengers, just so he or she can save a few minutes. Or you could say that the selfish ones are the people who don’t want to wait for the straggler(s).
3. People who don’t bother thanking those holding the door for them
You’re welcome? (Credit: www.huffpost.com)
Have you sashayed through an entrance without even glancing at the person holding the heavy door for you? Shame, shame! It’s not so hard to say “thank you”, smile, or nod at a person who’s helped you save some forearm strength, is it?
4. Kiasu parents who would do anything for their offspring
It’s barely light out but these parents are already queuing to get their kids on a very popular pre-nursery’s waitlist. Photo taken in 2013. (Credit: www.examsutra.blogspot.com)
Such as snagging a spot in their (the parents’, not the kids’, of course) kindergarten or primary school of choice. You might have read about some mummies queuing for a preschool spot during their pregnancy, volunteering with the school, making hefty donations, becoming a grassroots leader, becoming a member of a religious organisation for the affiliation… And even changing the address of residence to get priority. Hats off to those who rent or purchase a place near the school up to a year before registration! It’s just impossible to put a price on this sort of investment, so it’s hard to evaluate returns.
5. Commuters who don’t wait for fellow commuters to exit the MRT before barging in
This is a positive example – most of those waiting to get inside the train are queuing up. (Credit: www.mot.gov.sg)
To make a beeline for seats! No further explanation needed. Hmm, this movie might be a bit short.
Joking aside, to get to the real reason why this New York Times bestseller-based movie is thus named, go watch it!
The post If Me Before You were a Singapore film, it should feature… appeared first on The Popping Post.
