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 had its streaming on Netflix from 24 December.
Plot
A few weeks before Christmas, June Cheshire collapses at home and is taken to hospital where she learns her cancer has progressed. Her son, Connor, contacts his sisters, Julia and Molly, and they arrive shortly after. June's eldest daughter, Helen, who is living in Florida, flies back to England to be with the family.
As everyone struggles to come to terms with what little time June has left, it becomes apparent that the Cheshire family is somewhat fractured: Connor still lives at home and drifts through life without much direction, Helen distanced herself physically and emotionally, choosing a spiritual life abroad, and Julia and Molly haven't spoken for many years, their long-running conflict having split the family in two. Overseeing it all is June's cantankerous husband Bernie who mostly stays quiet and supresses his emotions.
As the days pass, June's health worsens but she enjoys spending time with all the family including her young grandchildren. Helen, who is expecting for the first time, is upset that her child will never meet their grandmother. June expresses how much she wishes Julia and Molly would make amends, knowing they love each other at heart. With the help of June's nurse Angeli, the two women eventually discuss their differences and reconnect. Meanwhile, Connor berates his father for not being expressive enough with June, helping him to see the error of his ways.
One evening while watching snow fall outside, June asks Julia if it will be okay if she passes; Julia tearfully gives her permission. June says she hopes she will come back as snow. Realising that June isn't going to make it until Christmas, the family rally together and put on a nativity show. In the middle of the play, June dies. Nurse Angeli stands on the wings and watches as the family share in their grief.
One year later, the family celebrate Christmas together. Helen has given birth, and Connor and Angeli are in a loving relationship. As the family gather and raise a toast to honour June, June narrates a letter, which she wrote to Helen's unborn child while in hospital, telling them she had a wonderful life simply by being a part of the family. The children run to the window and watch the snow fall.
Cast
Helen Mirren as June Cheshire, Bernie's wife, Helen, Julia, Molly and Connor’s mother and Benji’s grandmother
Kate Winslet as Julia Cheshire, June & Bernie's second daughter, Helen's younger sister and Molly and Connor's older sister and Benji’s mother
Andrea Riseborough as Molly Cheshire, June & Bernie's third daughter, Helen and Julia's younger sister and Connor's older sister, Julia’s sister and Benji’s aunt
Toni Collette as Helen Cheshire, June & Bernie's first daughter, Julia, Molly, Connor’s older sister and Benji’s aunt
Johnny Flynn as Connor Cheshire, June & Bernie's son, Helen, Molly and Julia’s younger brother and Benji’s uncle
Timothy Spall as Bernie Cheshire, June's husband, Helen, Julia, Molly and Connor’s father and Benji’s grandfather
Benjamin Shortland as Benji, Julia’s son, Helen, Molly and Connor’s nephew and June and Bernie’s grandson
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.[4] The premise of the work was inspired by Winslet's personal experience of the 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.[5] 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."[6]
Principal photography began on 17 March 2025, in the United Kingdom.[8]Goodbye June was filmed over the course of 35 days with a small crew and a limited budget.[6]
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.[9][10]
Reception
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 68% of 78 critics' reviews are positive.The website's consensus reads: "A family affair both on screen and behind the camera, Kate Winslet's directorial debut stacks the deck for tears a little too lopsidedly, but honest performances help put this drama's heart firmly in the right place."[11]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 55 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[12]
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.[13]
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