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December 21 - 27, 2025

Saying ‘Goodbye’

Kate Winslet and Timothy Spall on the set of “Goodbye June”

Kate Winslet (“Titanic,” 1997) makes her directorial debut with “Goodbye June,” streaming Wednesday, Dec. 24, on Netflix. Also premiering in select theaters as of Dec. 12, the holiday film is written by Winslet’s son, Joe Anders (“1917,” 2019), in his first screenwriting role. Helen Mirren (“The Queen,” 2006) stars as the titular matriarch whose poor health leads her to orchestrate her decline on her own terms.

Christmas with a cast

Winslet premieres star-studded project ‘Goodbye June’ By Dana Simpson TV Media

ate Winslet has, to date, had a bountiful career in the limelight. Although the minds of many may jump to Rose, the first-class, door-hugging love interest in James Cameron’s 1997 epic “Titanic,” that role came just five years after her breakout role as Reet in the British sci-fi television series “Dark Season” at age 17. By 34, the actress won her first Academy Award, for playing bus conductor Hanna Schmitz in “The Reader” (2008), and now, at age 50, Winslet is adding another boon to her ever-expanding resume: director. Don’t miss “Goodbye June,” a collaboration between Winslet and her son, burgeoning screenwriter Joe Anders, when it premieres Wednesday, Dec. 24, on Netflix. “Goodbye June” is, per Netflix, a drama that “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.” Perhaps relatable to many with siblings of their own, the holiday film boasts a star-studded cast that features Academy Award winner Helen Mirren (“The Queen,” 2006) as the family’s titular matriarch, who, aware of her worsening situation, resolves to “orchestrate her decline on her own terms,” thus “bringing the family closer together through humor and blunt honesty.” In the trailer, which was released by Netflix Nov. 13, audiences are introduced to a complicated relationship between June’s three daughters, all of whom are very different from one another and doing their best to process devastating news around the holidays while managing their own lives and families. And although their mother does appear to have made peace with her approaching demise — even asking for a touch of mascara on her lashes because she has “never died before” and wants “to look nice when it happens” — it is clear that June’s family (husband and son included) has a long way to go to accept the death on their end. But for all the emotion and stress-related arguments between siblings in “Goodbye June,” one thing that never goes away is the deep devotion that comes hand in hand with a good support system and a strong bond. “I experienced the loss of a parent,” Winslet told People magazine, referring to the 2017 death of her mother from cancer, “and I have gone through the juggernaut of emotions that the siblings in ‘Goodbye June’ suddenly have to face.” “Some of the most trying relationships in our

A scene from “Goodbye June” lives can often be with the people we love the most dearly in the world, and that fascinates me,” Winslet added during her interview with People. “I didn’t want to shy away from the reality of that. Loss happens to us all and can bring about acutely odd moments with loved ones that rarely ever occur outside of those situations.” Mirren and Winslet, the latter of whom stars as one of June’s daughters in the film, share the screen with fellow big names Toni Collette (“Hereditary,” 2018), Andrea Riseborough (“To Leslie,” 2022), Timothy Spall (“Mr. Turner,” 2014), Stephen Merchant (“Extras”) and Johnny Flynn (“Emma., 2020”), to name a few. Those familiar with the 2016 infection-horror “The Girl with All the Gifts” or Oscar nominee Armando Ianucci’s 2019 film “The Personal History of David Copperfield” may also recognize Fisayo Akinade, who appears in the film as June’s nurse. Shown in the trailer to be a caring and compassionate hospital worker who provides the most for those in his care, Akinade’s

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character shines a light on the heartfelt acts of kindness that go a long way for those who need it most. Of all the big names attached to the film, however, there is one lesser-known name that carries a lot of weight and without whom “Goodbye June” would not exist. Joe Anders, son of Winslet and Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes (“Skyfall,” 2012), is the source of the story and is credited as writer for the first time in his career. Aged 21, the budding filmmaker is now the age his mother was while filming her memorable “Titanic” role. Anders himself has already appeared in several films, including “1917” (2019), “Lee” (2023) and “Bonus Track” (2023), but “Goodbye June” marks the first project the aspiring screenwriter has penned. His mother sharing this first with him is a wonderful echo to the family themes within their film, especially since the actress said the idea of giving the film to another director felt like being “stabbed in the gut.” “As soon as we give this to another director,”

Winslet reportedly told Anders, “it becomes theirs. That’s what happens. So I said that I want for us to really feel like we’ve done this. I want to direct it.” And so, after the necessary discussion, Winslet was attached to direct; a rather fitting match given the overarching familial themes of the film. As for how it feels to sit in the director’s chair for the first time, Winslet says, “It just feels great to have directed my first film in the 50th year of my life as a woman. It feels good, it feels good.” “Goodbye June” premieres in select theaters Friday, Dec. 12, before releasing Wednesday, Dec. 24, on Netflix.

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