The Oxford Year

Movie Review: 9/10

Very thought provoking movie. While watching the movie, I was constantly thinking about aspects of my life / the paradoxical quotes that were mentioned. There were lots of takeaway from this movie and I would definitely want to watch this movie again sometime in the future.

Jamie is initially portrayed negatively. He is charming, sleeps around and is all about having fun. Initially portrayed as a red flag, the things he says carry little weight. e.g. just because it is fleeting doesn’t mean it can’t be meaningful, he doesn’t regret the things he did, only regret the things he doesn’t do. Cecilia is also always seen with Jamie despite being in a situation-ship with Anna, reinforcing the idea that Jamie is a big player.

However as the movie progressed, we learn that there are layers to Jamie’s character. In the earlier parts of the movie, both Jamie and Anna bonded through a poem that Jamie recognised even though it was randomly chosen by Anna. Jamie was impressed with Anna because she was able to find hope in the most pessimistic poem. This turned out to be a subtle foreshadowing of Jamie’s character in the later parts of the movie. 

I really enjoyed Jamie’s interpretation of love. Through Anna’s perspective, we discovered that Jamie has cancer that is probably incurable. This made me realise that Jamie’s love manifest in ways that I did not initially expect. By choosing not to tell Anna about his condition, it shows that he is able to love and care for others without the expectation that he would be loved and cared for. By choosing to not fight his cancer, Jamie reinforces the idea that love is not about the duration spent with someone, but the quality of the time spent. Jamie’s relentless attitude to ensure that those around him are cared for is one that I really respect.

^^j a simple review of the movie, I’m very sure there are still many parts to this movie that I can’t quite recall / too naive to capture.

questions

• whats the significance of starting the class with ‘a bribe’ (the cake)
• i don’t quite understand the part where the dad finally understood where Jamie is coming from (what does this mean ?!?!)
• I still feel very conflicted on whether Jamie’s actions are selfish towards Anna. Anna now has to live on without Jamie, what if she can’t get over Jamie??? Brings me back to the quote ‘just because it is fleeting, it doesn’t mean it can’t be meaningful’. What if it was meaningful during that short period but creates more harm in the longer time frame (esp towards Anna)?

Quotes:

Quote

You should never regret the things you do. You should only regret the things you don’t do.

Quote

Just because something is fleeting, doesn’t mean its not meaningful.

Quote

I Thought That I Would Set The Tone By Offering You A Bribe. It’s A Massive Cake.

Quote

You Don’t Live Longer. You Just Die Slower.