My Oxford YearIs a Bittersweet Journey of Love, Loss, and Living Fully
So, I just watched My Oxford Year on Netflix, and wow—there’s a lot to unpack here. It's one of those movies that tries to do the classic "American in the UK" romantic fantasy but adds a deeply emotional twist that catches you off guard, for better or worse.
The film is based on Julia Whelan’s novel and centers around Anna, played by Sofia Carson. She’s this ambitious, working-class girl from New York who’s landed a job at Goldman Sachs but decides to put it on hold to study poetry at Oxford for a year. She’s chasing her literary dreams, hoping to soak up all the charm and intellect the historic university can offer. And right from the start, the movie leans into this very Instagram-filtered version of England—think cobblestone streets, libraries with stained glass, and endless cups of tea.
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Enter Jamie, played by Corey Mylchreest, who becomes both her poetry instructor and, unsurprisingly, her love interest. Their relationship starts with a clumsy meet-cute—a car splashing her with a puddle, a mix-up at the local chippy, and then suddenly he’s her teacher. It’s rom-com 101. But while the film sets them up for this opposites-attract dynamic—he’s posh and jaded, she’s grounded and hopeful—it doesn’t really lean hard enough into the friction to make it compelling. It just kind of... glides along.
But then, about halfway through, the tone shifts. Jamie reveals he's been silently battling an aggressive form of cancer. Anna discovers this not because he confides in her, but because she suspects he’s cheating and confronts him. The romance turns from breezy to bittersweet pretty quickly. Anna makes the bold decision to stay in Oxford with him, giving up the security of her American life. It’s romantic, yes, but also filled with quiet tragedy.
Their time together becomes more urgent, and ultimately, Jamie's health fails. In one of the more poetic sequences, Anna imagines the European adventure they never got to take—traveling through Amsterdam, Paris, Venice, and Greece. These scenes are beautiful and haunting, especially when Jamie disappears from her side in the middle of one of those dreamlike montages. That’s when it really hits: he’s gone.
The film ends with Anna back at Oxford, this time as a teacher. She’s living the life Jamie inspired her to embrace—one filled with passion, spontaneity, and meaning. She even starts her first class with a Victoria Sponge, just like Jamie did.
My Oxford Year isn’t perfect—it’s uneven and leans heavily on well-worn tropes—but it’s also sincere. If nothing else, it leaves you thinking about the people who change us, and the courage it takes to live a life you truly want.
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