Netflix’s adaptation of the heartwarming novel My Oxford Year is officially out this summer, and we should probably start stocking up on tissues now. A bittersweet tale that’s part journey of self-discovery, part swoon-worthy romance, and part exploration of how our dreams can change and evolve as we grow older, the film is based on Julia Whelan’s acclaimed 2018 novel of the same name.
The story follows Ana, an ambitious young American woman who gets the chance to fulfill a lifelong dream: Study at the prestigious University of Oxford. But when she has an awkward encounter with Jamie Davenport, a charming local (and Oxford poetry professor), their subsequent relationship upends her carefully planned future. Set in the atmospheric streets of Oxford, a community that has been home to a unique flavor of romance, history, and scholarly magic for hundreds of years, this is an unexpected romance that is both heartwarming and heartbreaking.
Sofia Carson, who rose to fame in Netflix’s 2022 film Purple Hearts, plays Ana. Corey Mylchreest, who will be familiar to Brits everywhere for his role as the dreamy King George in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, plays Jamie.
“I watched Queen Charlotte and was in awe of Corey. He’s an incredible actor,” Carson told Netflix’s TUDUM. “When it came time to cast Jamie, I always knew it would be Corey. As soon as he walked into the room for our chemistry reading in London, Anna and Jamie came alive. Instantly. Corey was a true companion in this experience…. And together, we were dedicated to exploring Anna and Jamie’s love story, to bringing it to life with all our hearts.”
Fortunately, the book’s description offers significantly more detail, although some elements of the book—namely Ella’s name, cultural heritage, and professional identity—have been updated for the film version.
Ella Durran, an American girl, has had the same plan for her life since she was thirteen: Study at Oxford. At 24, she finally makes it to England on a Rhodes Scholarship when she is awarded an unlikely position on the presidential campaign of a rising political star. With the promise that she will work remotely and return to DC at the end of her Oxford year, she is free to enjoy her Once in a Lifetime Experience. Until a loud-mouthed, fast-talking local and his car ruin her shirt and her first day.
When Ella discovers that her English literature course will be taught by none other than that local himself, Jamie Davenport, she first thinks that Oxford may not be all that she envisioned. But a late-night drink reveals a connection she didn’t expect, and what begins as a whirlwind romance soon blossoms into something much more when Ella learns Jamie has a life-changing secret.
Immediately, Ella is faced with a seemingly impossible decision: turn her back on the man she loves to pursue her political dreams or stand by him in a trial for which neither of them are truly prepared. As her year at Oxford draws to a close, Ella must decide whether the dreams she has always wanted are the ones she is truly yearning for.
“Our story is a film that, frame by frame, reaffirms the belief that life is too short not to be in love. To not be in joy,” says Carson. “And I hope that truth will resonate in the hearts of everyone who watches our film,
Along with Carson and Mylchreest, the cast includes Dougray Scott (Sherlock & Daughter), Catherine McCormack (Lockerbie: A Search for Truth), Harry Trevaldwyn (My Lady Jane), Esmé Kingdom (Fallen), Nikhil Parmar (The Rig), Poppy Gilbert (The Chelsea Detective), Romina Cocca (The Penguin Lessons), Yadier Fernandez (The Gold), Nia Anisah (Magpie Murders) and Hugh Coles (Baby Reindeer).
The film is based on Whelan’s novel, with a screenplay by Allison Burnett (Autumn in New York) and Melissa Osborne (My Fault: London). BAFTA-nominated Iain Morris (The Inbetweeners) directs.
Executive producers include Carson, Caroline Levy, Christopher Simon, Maggie Monteith, Laura Char Carson and Pete Harris. Mary Bowen, Wyck Godfrey, Laura Quicksilver and Isaac Klausner are producing the film, with George Berman co-producing.
My Oxford Year will premiere on Netflix on Friday, August 1, 2025.
