Synopsis

In 1953, progressive art history professor Katherine Watson arrives at conservative Wellesley College expecting to challenge her students through modern art. As she pushes them to imagine lives beyond marriage and domesticity, she confronts institutional expectations, personal compromises, and the limits of her own idealism. Her lessons gradually affect both her students and her understanding of what independence truly means.

Factoids & Trivia

• The story is fictional, but the screenplay writers researched Wellesley College and examined archival photographs of students from the 1950s while developing the characters and period setting.

• The film's portrayal of Wellesley as a finishing school drew criticism from alumnae. In reality, the college was a liberal arts institution with a history of social activism, and its president later expressed regret over the school's association with the movie.

• Production used several real academic locations. Scenes were filmed at Wellesley College, while Yale University's Sterling Memorial Library and Silliman College doubled for additional Wellesley interiors and exteriors.

• The soundtrack combines period recordings with newly arranged material. It includes songs associated with the 1950s as well as contemporary performances by artists including Seal, Tori Amos, Macy Gray, and Elton John.

• Elton John and Bernie Taupin wrote "The Heart of Every Girl" specifically for the film. The song received a 2004 Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song.

• Released in the United States on December 19, 2003, the film opened in second place behind The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and ultimately earned more than $141 million worldwide.