Devastatingly brutal ending aside, Netflix’s new film, My Oxford Year, is proving to be a highly divisive film with contradictory reviews, a savage 28 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes, and some very confused people on Twitter.
Based on the bestselling book of the same name by Julia Whelan, My Oxford Year stars former Disney queen Sofia Carson alongside Corey Mylchreest, Poppy Gilbert, Dougray Scott, and a few notable British actors.
“When Anna (Sofia Carson), an ambitious young American woman, sets out for Oxford University to fulfil a childhood dream, she has her life completely on track until she meets a charming and clever local (Corey Mylchreest) who profoundly alters both of their lives,” the official description reads.
Made by the same team as The Fault in Our Stars – which should honestly tell you everything you need to know – My Oxford Year quickly spirals from lighthearted rom-com to a crippling commentary on terminal illness. To make matters even worse, the film’s creators changed the ending for one final emotional gut punch.
This is how the ending of My Oxford Year is different
Okay, so in the original book, Julia Whelan gave Jamie a little extra time through a medical trial. He’s able to keep his promises to Anna, called Ella in the book, by travelling around Europe with her.
But, as we see in the film version, Jamie’s Netflix fate was a lot more bleak. Anna simply dreams about her European adventure with Jamie, only for him to fade into nothingness as the realisation sets in – he’s dead.
So, why did they change it?
Credit: Netflix
While the ending of the book is depressing enough, the film takes it that one step further in a final attempt to get your tear ducts working. It was no easy decision to change the end, according to the lead star Sofia Carson.
“There were conversations up until the very last minute of locking the cut,” she told Entertainment Weekly. “Our main producer, Marty Bowen, didn’t want Jamie to die. because he wanted the possibility, the future of them together.”
As for why they changed the ending of My Oxford Year, both Sofia and her co-star, Corey Mylchreest, said it was a natural and “beautiful” ending to their story.
“It’s better like that. 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],” Corey said.
Credit: Netflix
“The impressive thing is that Jamie believes all of these things — forever is composed of nows — and he doesn’t have that many nows left. So, what’s really amazing is that he’s doing all of this stuff and believes all these things with really not that much time left. If that wasn’t true, it would feel like we’re undervaluing his beliefs.”
Still, the moment sparked a lot of debate in the writer’s room, as Sofia noted: “There was a lot of debate, but we all agreed where it ended was the most beautiful ending for Anna and Jamie.”
My Oxford Year is available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news and drops, like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.
Featured image credit: Netflix
