Kate Winslet’s Directorial Debut: Goodbye June Delivers Raw Family Drama

Seven-time Academy Award nominee Kate Winslet takes on her first feature as director with Goodbye June, a Christmas drama for Netflix. The script, penned by her son Joe Anders, draws inspiration from Winslet’s own experience of losing her mother. Winslet leads a distinguished cast including Toni Collette, Johnny Flynn, Helen Mirren, and Andrea Riseborough. The film is set for a limited cinema release on 12 December, before arriving on Netflix on Christmas Eve.

Family Ties and the Weight of Loss

The story centres on June, whose health takes a turn for the worse as the festive season approaches. Her four children and their father are forced to confront the looming reality of her decline. June, however, is determined to manage her final days on her own terms, wielding her trademark candour and wit as she prepares to say farewell.

After a sudden collapse while making tea, June is rushed to hospital. Although surgery is initially successful, the family soon learns her cancer is advancing. The news sparks a heated row among the siblings in the waiting room, each struggling to process the prospect of losing their mother.

Script Ambitions and Narrative Hurdles

Exploring grief has become a recurring theme in 2025’s cinema, with Goodbye June joining the likes of Hamnet, Train Dreams, and even the horror title Bring Her Back. These films examine the many faces of bereavement, the ways people brace themselves for loss, and the enduring ache it leaves behind. Anders’s script shines when it focuses on the family’s varied responses to June’s illness, capturing the confusion and authenticity of their reactions.

However, the screenplay occasionally loses its way by introducing extraneous subplots for each character. While life’s complications rarely pause for tragedy, these additional threads muddle the emotional core, diluting the impact of June’s story. The result is a narrative that sometimes feels less affecting than it might have been.

Performances That Lift the Material

The ensemble cast is the film’s greatest asset, elevating the uneven script with committed performances. Helen Mirren is particularly striking as June, conveying the complex emotions of a woman facing her final days while trying to reassure her family. The dynamic between Collette, Winslet, Riseborough, and Flynn as siblings is convincing, lending the family’s interactions a proper sense of realism. Timothy Spall provides much-needed comic relief as the father, balancing the film’s heavier moments.

Despite its flaws, Goodbye June is likely to resonate with viewers who have experienced loss or navigated complicated family relationships. Winslet’s first outing as director is understated yet effective when it matters most, hinting at promising work to come from her behind the camera.

Release Details

Goodbye June

opens in select cinemas on 12 December and will be available to stream on Netflix from 24 December.