Ella Durran (played by Florence Pugh), an ambitious American political prodigy, arrives in Oxford on a Rhodes Scholarship with dreams of making real change back home. Confident, determined, and fiercely independent, she plans to keep her year abroad all businessโuntil she unexpectedly falls for Jamie Davenport (Joe Alwyn), a charming, literature-obsessed local with secrets of his own.
As their whirlwind romance blossoms amidst candlelit libraries, cobblestone streets, and late-night pub debates, Ella begins to question the life she thought she wanted. Jamie challenges her worldview, bringing out parts of herself sheโs long buried beneath ambition. But as the year progresses, she discovers that Jamie is living with a terminal illnessโand everything they built stands on borrowed time.
Faced with the greatest emotional challenge of her life, Ella must choose between returning to her carefully planned future in Washington, D.C., or embracing the unknown and staying by Jamieโs side in Oxford. The film dives deep into questions of legacy, love, and what it truly means to live fully.
My Oxford Year isnโt just a romanceโitโs a story of personal growth, sacrifice, and the way once-in-a-lifetime love can shift your entire path. With tender direction, poetic dialogue, and unforgettable performances, it captures the bittersweet beauty of youth, illness, and impermanence.
In the end, Ella returns to America changedโnot just by love lost, but by the courage it gave her to live more honestly. Jamieโs influence lingers, not as tragedy, but as inspiration, echoing in her every choice. Their love, though fleeting, becomes eternal in memory.