My Oxford Year, the highly anticipated Netflix film adapted from a popular novel, is a story of a swooping college romance which is centered on two students whose casual fling turns into something deeper. Despite its rising numbers on the charts, the movie is making headlines for a different reason altogether. Fans have claimed that the movie has a different ending than the Julia Whelan’s Novel.
The film revolves around a young American graduate student Anna played by Sofia Carson who travels to England to fulfil her dream of studying at the renowned University of Oxford. Soon, in an unexpected twist of events, an unwise affair churns up between her and her Oxford professor Jamie, played by Corey Mylchreest. What started off as a fling at first turns into a deep bond between the two.
The major plot difference between the book and the film lies in the ending, though both versions leave fans equally devastated. In the movie, Anna discovers that Jamie has been hiding the fact that he has terminal cancer. He refuses further treatment, believing it to be futile, which adds a layer of tragedy to their love story. At the end, she lies near her beloved’s deathbed and emotionally talks about their dream of visiting Europe.
In contrast, the novel offers a more hopeful resolution. Jamie falls seriously ill with pneumonia, but after undergoing a medical trial, he recovers. This recovery gives the couple a chance to finally live out their dream of travelling through Europe together, making for a more bittersweet but uplifting conclusion.
Other slight changes include the names of the character, certain places and a bit of the storyline. Many fans who were deeply connected with the storyline commented how devastated they felt at the end. One user commented, “Did I finish the movie or did the movie finish me?” while another said, “The day Corey takes an actual romcom role is the day I'll know peace again, enough of him torturing me”.
Addressing the ending in an interview, actor Corey Mylchreest defended the film’s storyline saying, “It's better like that”. He added, "It's more powerful. That is the direction that the book is heading in, and it would feel like hypocrisy for Jamie to speak all these things and for Anna to be understanding that philosophy of life [and not end there].”
Ultimately, it’s up to the viewers and readers to decide, which version resonates more, the poignant finality of the film or the quiet hopefulness of the novel.
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