Goodbye June. (Left to right) Helen Mirren as June, Kate Winslet as Julia in Goodbye June. Ten million. Kimberly French/Netflix © 2025.
From Working Title Films and director/producer Kate Winslet, goodbye june is a family affair from start to finish – a personal script from first-time screenwriter Joe Anders, who handed his assignment (literally the coursework of a 22-year-old freshman at Britain’s National Film and Television School) to his mother (the aforementioned Oscar-winning actress Winslet) with a subject that hit incredibly close to home: the loss of an elderly matriarch; Anders and Winslet had to endure something similar several years ago when Winslet’s mother died during a battle with cancer.
With her son’s permission, Winslet began making the film her own as she took the reins as director for the first time. As a particularly intimate story for him, he surrounded himself with the comforts of familiar friends and colleagues, including Alvin H. Kuchler, cinematographer on Winslet’s HBO show. Government And from Steve Jobs to musician Ben Harlan, who previously taught music to his children, and former co-stars Helen Mirren and Andrea Riseborough, just to name a few.
At its core, the story’s familiarity lies not only with Winslet and her family, but with most of its audience. Told from the perspective of nearly every generation involved, Goodbye June follows a group of four adult siblings, their children, and their eccentric father as they come together after an unexpected change in their mother June’s health. With a potential loss looming just before Christmas, all four must deal with their messy dynamics and complicated emotions to say a final goodbye to June.
The best description I can give for this kind of story is that of a desire; There is a wish that June will leave this world in peace and comfort, there is a wish that her daughters will be reconciled before she goes, there is a wish that people can truly die with dignity and proper care, there is a wish that we are all lucky enough to be surrounded by love and song when our time comes.
But a wish also strains the credibility of our reality, which sounds too good to be true, and is colored with rose-colored glasses. Mix in a healthy dose of sentimentality, yuletide charm and a well-placed Ray Charles standard and you’ll arrive at the sweet spot of Winslet and Anders’ delicately crafted love letter to the beloved woman who means so much to the family she left behind.
But, just because the film is more Pollyanna than the unpleasant medical hellscape we often find ourselves involved in when our loved ones approach their final stages, doesn’t mean the film can’t be effective and moving when the time is right, especially at this time of year.
Goodbye June is full of last requests and last scenes that I defy anyone to reject with two eyes and a heartbeat. Helen Mirren, who reportedly turns down any role involving illness, fragility and death, including this role, gives the film the anchor it needs and the strongest form of authenticity the film can muster. It’s hard to express regret at what she’ll miss, working in court amid morphine drips, refereeing sibling fights, and slowly accepting the embrace of death while she’s confined to a hospital bed most of the time; But Mirren does so with a measured mix of stubborn fire and stately grace that only she can provide.
The story is at its best when seen through the eyes of Johnny Flynn’s Connor: the only brother of 4 siblings who still lives at home, and who found his mother lying on the family kitchen floor. His tenderness towards her is different from that of his three sisters; The honesty, depression and thoughtfulness of a reluctant artist. His mother loves him very much and pampers him with a warmth that she usually does not have. He will drink with his father and tell the truth when he needs to hear it. His heart cheers up the characters around him and leads them on the right path, even when he often can’t get out of his own way. Flynn’s natural gentleness, along with his shaggy failed English major aesthetic, allows him to slip in and out of the film’s emotionality like a cat moving from lap to nap.
With performances from Flynn and Mirren, some truly poignant scenes, and a cozy Christmas backdrop, Goodbye June may connect well enough with audiences at an emotionally raw time of year. However, the impact is diminished by some weak characters (despite what Toni Collette’s Helen character brings to the story), a predictable and borderline gimmicky plot, and some devices that could be considered ineffective. Winslet’s combination of direction and talent deserves a chance, but be prepared for the emotional manipulation we all prepare for during the holiday season.
If you liked it, check out Goodbye June
- his three daughters
- family stone
- farewell
Goodbye June’s MVP
Helen Mirren as June
The Oscar and Emmy-winning actress probably doesn’t crave another accolade, but, well, here’s another one.
As of June, Mirren is its centre; The matriarch who can be so clear and strong about her positions that she can still be who she needs to be for her family. Mirren presents strength, class and raw emotion while largely confined to a bed-ridden performance. The believability of June’s emotion and grace when facing her death can only be realized with an actress of Mirren’s caliber. She is the anchor, glue and presence that the film and this fantastical story needs most.
During its more relevant moments, goodbye june It is a touching lament for the people who bring us together and whose absence we mourn during the holiday season. If you can forgive the story’s features, manipulations and lack of realism, Winslet’s intimate look at dying on her own terms and the family dynamics surrounding it may give you the right feeling this Christmas.