Kate Winslet has a new Netflix movie, and it is squarely aimed at your tear ducts for the holidays. She directed it, she stars in it, and the whole thing unfolds right before Christmas. Consider this your heads-up to stock tissues.
Quick Winslet refresher while we are here: she is still Rose from 'Titanic' for a lot of people, she plays Ronal in James Cameron's ongoing 'Avatar' saga (the most recent one is currently in U.S. theaters), and she led the 2024 miniseries 'The Regime' on Max.
What is 'Goodbye June'?
It is Winslet's feature directorial debut, now streaming on Netflix. The script is written by her son, Joe Anders, and it follows a family forced to actually deal with each other when the matriarch, played by Helen Mirren, is diagnosed with terminal cancer. It is set in December, so yes, this one is firmly in the Christmas-adjacent category. And just to clarify the title: 'June' is the mother's name, not the month.
'The film takes place just before Christmas, when an unexpected turn in their mother's health thrusts four adult siblings and their exasperating father into chaos as they navigate messy family dynamics in the face of potential loss. But their quick-witted mother, June, orchestrates her decline on her own terms - with biting humour, blunt honesty, and a lot of love.'
Who is in it
- Kate Winslet
- Helen Mirren
- Toni Collette
- Andrea Riseborough
- Johnny Flynn
- Timothy Spall
- ...and more
Winslet on what the movie is really about
Speaking to Netflix Tudum, Winslet summed up the heart of the film in a way that should make sense to anyone with a complicated family (so, everyone):
'It is about the human condition. I hope that people will recognize themselves in the characters. It is a film about family. Some of our most complicated relationships in life are with the people we love the most in the world, the people we are closest to, the people we need the most for support and care. In the UK, we struggle when talking about death. The power of a good goodbye is to remember to love each other in the present.'
Where to watch
'Goodbye June' is streaming now on Netflix.