Goodbye June (film)

Last updated

Goodbye June
Goodbye June poster.jpg
US release poster
Directed by Kate Winslet
Written by Joe Anders
Produced by
  • Kate Winslet
  • Kate Solomon
Starring
Cinematography Alwin H. Küchler
Edited by Lucia Zucchetti
Music byBen Harlan
Production
company
55 Jugglers [1]
Distributed by Netflix
Release dates
  • 3 December 2025 (2025-12-03)(Curzon Mayfair Cinema)
  • 12 December 2025 (2025-12-12)(UK, US)
  • 24 December 2025 (2025-12-24)(Netflix)
Running time
114 minutes [2]
CountriesUnited Kingdom
United States
LanguageEnglish

Goodbye June is a 2025 Christmas family drama film directed by Kate Winslet in her directorial debut, from a screenplay written by her son Joe Anders. It stars an ensemble cast that includes Toni Collette, Johnny Flynn, Andrea Riseborough, Timothy Spall, Helen Mirren, and Winslet herself. The film set during Christmas, in which the characters gather around their dying mother, and confront themes of grief, reconciliation, and love. [3]

Contents

Winslet explained that she had not initially intended to direct, but after reading Anders' script she decided to take on the role of director as well as actor and producer. She emphasised the therapeutic nature of the story, describing it as "about family, not just about death." Winslet selected several department heads who were newcomers, including composer Ben Harlan, production designer Alison Harvey, and costume designer Grace Clark, reflecting her desire to give opportunities to emerging talent. Winslet also adopted unconventional filming methods, such as using small microphones on actors instead of traditional boom equipment, to create a more intimate atmosphere on set. [3]

Goodbye June was released in select cinemas in the United Kingdom and United States on 12 December 2025, and is set to stream on Netflix from 24 December.

Plot

The film centres on four siblings whose lives change when their ailing mother takes a turn for the worse over the Christmas season. [4]

Cast

Production

Development

Goodbye June is Kate Winslet's feature-length directorial debut. Producers are Kate Solomon and Winslet. The film was written by Winslet's son, Joe Anders. [5] The premise of the work was inspired by Winslet's personal experience of death of her mother to ovarian cancer in 2017. Anders wrote the screenplay at the age of 19 when he attended a screenwriting course at the National Film and Television School in Beaconsfield, England. [6] Winslet explained that Anders "was encouraged by a wonderful tutor to write about something that he knew ... Whilst it is not autobiographical in any way, [Anders] took the scenario that he had been around when my own mother passed away." [7]

Winslet also appears in the film alongside an ensemble cast including Toni Collette, Johnny Flynn, Andrea Riseborough, Timothy Spall, and Helen Mirren. [8]

Filming

Principal photography began on 17 March 2025, in the United Kingdom. [9] Goodbye June was filmed over the course of 35 days with a small crew and a limited budget. [7]

Release

Goodbye June was released in select cinemas in the United Kingdom and United States on 12 December 2025, and on Netflix on 24 December 2025. [10] [11]

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 67% of 46 critics' reviews are positive. [12] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 54 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [13]

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian wrote that Goodbye June is "a well-intentioned and starrily cast yuletide heartwarmer, like a two-hour John Lewis Christmas TV ad without the logo", but criticised its "treacly soup of sentimentality" and "cartoony quasi-Richard Curtis characterisation" that feels unreal. [14]

References

  1. ↑ Changnon, Jenny (November 14, 2025). "Watch The Trailer for Kate Winslet's Directorial Debut, Goodbye June". Netflix Tudum . Retrieved November 14, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Goodbye June (15)". British Board of Film Classification . November 18, 2025. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  3. 1 2 "Kate Winslet on Directing, Starring, and Producing Goodbye June". Netflix. December 3, 2025. Retrieved December 5, 2025.
  4. ↑ Gajewski, Ryan (August 28, 2025). "Kate Winslet's Directorial Debut 'Goodbye June' Gets December Release, First Look". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  5. ↑ Mendoza, Leia (August 29, 2025). "Kate Winslet Finds Herself in a Christmas Crisis in First Look at Her Directorial Debut 'Goodbye June'". Variety. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  6. ↑ "Kate Winslet's 'extraordinary' new Netflix film was written by her son, 21". Metro. December 4, 2025.
  7. 1 2 Wilson, Sumiko (November 4, 2025). "Meet Our Winter Cover Star: Kate Winslet". S Magazine. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
  8. ↑ Ntim, Zac (February 16, 2025). "Kate Winslet To Make Directorial Debut With 'Goodbye June' For Netflix". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved February 16, 2025.
  9. ↑ Calnan, Ellie (March 17, 2025). "2025 film and high-end TV productions shooting in the UK and Ireland: latest updates". Screen Daily . Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  10. ↑ Bamigboye, Baz (August 27, 2025). "Breaking Baz: Kate Winslet Says She "Feels Great" After Making Her Directorial Debut Aged 50 With 'Goodbye June'". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved August 27, 2025.
  11. ↑ McIlvaine, Brookie (August 28, 2025). "Get a First Look at Kate Winslet's Directorial Debut, Goodbye June". Netflix Tudum . Retrieved August 28, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Goodbye June". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved December 20, 2025.
  13. ↑ "Goodbye June". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  14. ↑ Bradshaw, Peter (December 11, 2025). "Goodbye June review – Kate Winslet's Christmas heartwarmer is like a two-hour John Lewis ad". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved December 13, 2025.
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