‘Goodbye June’: Kate Winslet’s first film behind the camera tackles holiday loss

Kate Winslet has a deeply personal view of Christmas — particularly the British kind, complete with festive decorations and tins of chocolates — but she also recognizes the season’s emotional weight. That complexity sits at the heart of her directorial debut, Goodbye June, which recently premiered in U.S. theaters and is now streaming on Netflix.

Set during the two weeks leading up to Christmas, the film follows a fractured British family brought together by the rapid decline of their mother, June, who is dying after years of cancer treatment. As the family gathers in a hospital decorated with well-worn Christmas ornaments, long-simmering tensions surface, turning the festive backdrop into an emotional pressure cooker.

The project is especially personal for Winslet. The screenplay was written by her son, Joe Anders, and is partly inspired by the death of Winslet’s own mother. Anders began the script as part of a screenwriting course, and Winslet later stepped in not only as an actor but also as director, calling the collaboration a rare chance for a first-time writer and first-time director to work as equals.

The film features an ensemble cast that includes Helen Mirren, Toni Collette, Andrea Riseborough, Johnny Flynn, Timothy Spall, and Winslet herself. Much of the drama unfolds in the hospital as the family marks the days to Christmas, blending grief, dark humor, and moments of tenderness.

Winslet has said the holiday setting reflects a reality many people recognize — a season often portrayed as joyful, but one that can intensify unresolved family dynamics and emotions. The film leans into that contradiction, portraying Christmas not as an escape from loss, but as a moment when love, conflict, and memory collide.