Every Star in Netflix’s Goodbye June — And Who They Play
Netflix is betting big on Goodbye June, a gut-punch family drama that doubles as Kate Winslet’s directing debut. Produced with Kate Solomon and powered by an ensemble cast, it follows a family clawing through grief and is already building serious buzz.
Netflix has a new family gut-punch on the way, and the hook is big: it is Kate Winslet stepping behind the camera for the first time while also acting in it. The film is called Goodbye June, and it pairs a stacked cast with a story about a family bracing for a loss right before Christmas. Tissues, probably. Also, jokes, apparently.
Who is playing who
- Helen Mirren as June, the family matriarch
- Toni Collette, Andrea Riseborough, Johnny Flynn, and Kate Winslet as the four adult siblings
- Timothy Spall as their dad, Bernie
- Supporting cast: Stephen Merchant, Fisayo Akinade, Jeremy Swift, Raza Jaffrey
What it is actually about
The setup is simple and sharp: just before the holidays, June is hit with a serious health crisis that confines her to bed. That forces her grown kids to orbit home, where they run headfirst into old grudges, half-healed wounds, and all the weirdness that comes with loving people you also find exhausting. The tone swings between heartbreak and humor, and yes, it leans into the messiness of saying goodbye.
"June orchestrates her decline on her own terms."
That line from the official synopsis is the spine of the movie. So while the premise sounds heavy, it is not just wall-to-wall bleakness; it is about control, connection, and how families function under pressure.
Why this one has some behind-the-scenes intrigue
Winslet is directing for the first time and producing alongside Kate Solomon. The script comes from Winslet's son, Joe Anders. He did not originally plan to make a film out of it, but after his mother read his finished draft, she pushed him to take it the whole way. The screenplay is rooted in something very personal: Winslet losing her own mother to ovarian cancer after a long fight. The film is produced under the 55 Jugglers banner and will be distributed by Netflix.
Release plan
Goodbye June opens in select theaters in the United States and the United Kingdom on December 12, 2025. It then streams worldwide on Netflix starting December 24, 2025, which lines up with the movie's holiday timing.
If you are in the U.S. and do not have Netflix, here are the current monthly prices: Standard with ads at $7.99, ad-free Standard at $17.99, and Premium at $24.99. Or you can catch it during the limited theatrical run if that is your thing.