Goodbye June

After acting alongside one another in the excellent I Am Ruth in 2022, Kate Winslet and her son, Joe Anders, step behind the camera for the former’s directorial debut. Written by Anders, Goodbye June is a well-meaning Christmas tearjerker. 

A group of squabbling, disparate siblings – Julia (Winslet), Helen (Toni Collette), Molly (Andrea Riseborough) and Connor (Johnny Flynn) – come together when their mother falls ill. Helen Mirren plays the titular matriarch, who’s given a terminal cancer diagnosis after her husband, Bernie (Timothy Spall), finds her passed out on the kitchen floor. Mostly set in June’s hospital room, the film explores how each sibling deals with their impending loss, while June herself reflects on her mistakes and regrets in life.

The heavy subject matter is a difficult one to tackle, especially when writing from the perspective of 40-something characters, so 22-year-old Anders’s efforts are commendable. His positive depiction of the care June receives is refreshing at a time of NHS-bashing and calls for privatisation, with Fisayo Akinade giving a wonderful performance as kindly nurse Angeli. Mirren is excellent as the ailing title character; a scene in which Julia does her mother’s makeup from her hospital bed is particularly moving. As a man using humour to suppress his grief, the always excellent Spall offers some bittersweet comedic relief amid the tragedy.

However, the film tests the realms of plausibility. A surplus of characters complicates the plot, with each of the siblings occupying a different cinematic trope. There’s Julia, the go-getting career woman, Helen is the airy fairy new age counsellor, Molly is the earthy, foul-mouthed youngest daughter, and Connor is a manchild still living with his parents. The unrealistic dialogue is somewhat cringeworthy at times, such as Molly swearing at the doctors and threatening to mutilate their genitals after they deliver June’s prognosis. This scene, though the emotional building block of the movie, surprisingly lacks any real emotional impact. Nevertheless, Goodbye June is nicely shot in the British realist tradition, with Winslet showing considerable promise as a first-time director. Likewise, Anders will no doubt go on to pen more screenplays as he matures.

A compassionate look at end-of-life care, it’s refreshing to see a film tackling a painful subject that affects so many families around the holidays. With a dignified central performance, Mirren steals our hearts as we say goodbye to June.

Antonia Georgiou

Goodbye June is released nationwide on 12^th December and on Netflix on 24^th December 2025.

Watch the trailer for Goodbye June here: