‘Goodbye June’ Review: Kate Winslet’s Fine Directorial Debut With Helen Mirren And Top British Cast Is Sad, Funny, Hopeful, And A Holiday Gift

Considering the fact that Kate Winslet‘s directorial debut, Goodbye June is set around the Christmas season it seems entirely appropriate for Netflix to debut it on the streaming service Christmas Eve after a brief theatrical run beginning tomorrow. That said I wouldn’t give it the indignity of calling it a “Christmas movie”. It is much more than that, but if you are looking for an unexpected spiritual lift this season from a film revolving around imminent death, this one is quite a gift.

So there are countless Christmas-themed movies available this time of year, both old and new, of all shapes and sizes. Hallmark is a channel that has made a cottage industry out of them, Netflix has a boatload to choose from, but few are brave enough to deal with the end of life ordeal in the very British way Goodbye June does. Why put us through this kind of sad family event during supposedly the most joyous time of year? Fortunately Joe Ander’s touching and observant screenplay has more on its mind to be an almost cathartic experience, a confirmation that as one life of a loved may be ending, renewal and hope for the future is right around the corner. Though I shed a few tears, all of them earned, I was not at all depressed and in fact, especially considering the writer was only 19 when he wrote this script, it is a poignant and rewarding experience that points to our collective humanity when we need it most.

And by the way Anders is the son of Winslet and her ex-husband Sam Mendes, proving without a doubt that this kid got the creative genes and has written a story that, whether you are British or not, is a recognizably universal one. Fortunately it is not remotely awash with the manufactured sentimentality of the majority of the films we get tied to this time of year. It feels real and authentic, and can thank an exceptional cast, including its novice director, for being at the top of their game.

Right off the bat we see tragedy hitting the family when matriarch June (Helen Mirren) collapses in the kitchen. Her youngest child, and son Connor (Johnny Flynn) who is the only one of four adult siblings who is still living at home with his parents and immediately awakens and comes to the rescue, something that his rather clueless father Bernie (Timothy Spall) seems inherently incapable of doing. She is rushed to the hospital, an occurence we learn is not the first time, and word spreads quickly for the others including middle daughter Julia (Winslet), a single mother of three; Molly (Andrea Riseborough), a struggling mom of four with a rather flighty husband named Jerry (Stephen Merchant); and the free-spirited oldest daughter Helen (Toni Collette) who is now pregnant at 40. If you thought this quartet might have been a handful to deal with when they were kids, get a load of the dysfuntion now. Add to this mix their father who refuses to take his wife’s serious condition as anything to be concerned about, a man content to just drink beer and watch football, oblivious to what is happening – or so it seems.

What is happening this time is that June’s cancer has returned in force and spread. There is nothing doctors can do as they recommend she stay bedridden until the end comes, probably before Christmas, her favorite time of year. June is the one who handles this situation best, not being told the diagnosis but wise enough to suspect what is happening. Playing out around this are the various problems of her clan who all seem to be on differing wavelengths. Julia who is working and successful and Molly who isn’t haven’t spoken in years. Helen is consumed with her own floating idiosyncratic lifestyle. Chronically unemployed Connor hasn’t progressed much from his youth, but still is the only one concerned enough to look after both his elderly parents who have continued to live on their own despite all the obstacles. With Christmas approaching this is a family on the precipice of major change where the loss of a wife, mother, and grandmother may possibly be the key to their own rebirth in ways they couldn’t imagine. Life, at its lowest point, can sometimes lift us up when we least expect it.

Winslet recognized the quality of Ander’s screenplay when he asked her to read it, and beyond acting in it she got so immersed in its development she chose to direct for the first time. It pays off. This is an exceptinally well made film which lets all these seasoned pros create people many of us probably know very well in our own lives, even if this does not disguise its very Britishness. Mirren, brave enough to lose the makeup and look gravely ill for the entire film in which she practices the art of what they call “bed acting” is exceptionally fine here. She makes June anything but a victim, rather a person with a deep understanding of life, even as she is about to lose her own. Matching her in a typically rich portrayal, Spall is convincing as a man in complete denial, doing everything he can to mask his fears of losing his wife but finally showing his real feelings with a version of “Georgia On My Mind” you won’t soon forget. Each of the siblings get their moments as well, but both Flynn and Riseborough really get the fireworks here. Also making a strong impression is Fisayo Akinade as the hospital nurse, Angel whose understanding human nature lends a touch of dignity when it is needed most.

Most of Goodbye June is set in the hospital room and corridors, and Winslet navigates it all with surprising visual flair with the help of some superb cinematography from Alwin H. Kuchler.

If you are looking for a holiday diversion that could also make you think about life, about death, and most importantly what it’s really all about. Goodbye June is here just in time.

Producers are Winslet and Kate Solomon.

Title: Goodbye June

Distributor: Netflix

Release Date: December 12, 2025 (limited theatrical); December 24, 2025 (streaming)

Director: Kate Winslet

Screenplay: Joe Anders

Cast: Kate Winslet, Helen Mirren, Timothy Spall, Andrea Riseborough, Johnny Flynn. Toni Collette, Fisayo Akinade, Stephen Merchant

Rating: R

Running Time: 1 hour and 54 minutes