Film Review: GOODBYE JUNE (2025): Kate Winslet’s Directorial Effort Has Enough Heart to Warrant a Watch on Netflix
Goodbye June Review
Goodbye June (2025) Film Review, a movie directed by Kate Winslet, written by Joe Anders and starring Kate Winslet, Helen Mirren, Timothy Spall, Toni Collette, Johnny Flynn, Andrea Riseborough, James Trevelyan Buckle, Stephen Merchant, Nancy Hannan, Dan Li, Fisayo Akinade, Jeremy Swift, Raza Jeffrey and Michelle Parker.
Kate Winslet is one of our greatest actresses and she now has a promising future as a filmmaker if her new film, Goodbye June, is an accurate indication. Winslet has starred in countless heavy and emotional films such as Titanic and The Reader and given that background, it seemed as if her new picture would be overly emotional and a big-time tearjerker. That’s not the case, however. One may wipe a few tears away, but Winslet grounds her film in a reality where the tears only last so long and life has to go on. Despite some minor pacing issues and a couple of underwritten characters, Goodbye June is touching and sweet. It may be the perfect holiday movie for viewers looking to gather with the family this holiday season and watch something with a bit of dramatic substance to it.
Winslet stars in the film as well. She portrays Julia, an ever-so busy mom who finds her life at a crossroads as her own mom, June (Helen Mirren), lays in a hospital bed with terminal cancer. June’s quirky husband, Bernie (Timothy Spall), remains adrift for much of the beginning as he seems to be coming to terms with the eventual loss of June. Julia’s sisters, Molly (Andrea Riseborough) and Helen (Toni Collette), are both eventually beside her as they try to console June in the hospital as she is trying to take in her last days of life the best way she possibly can.
Helen is more sharply written than Molly. Though Molly has a bit of a disagreement with Julia that hints as to what her true personality may be, she doesn’t come to life on-screen the way Helen does despite Riseborough’s best efforts. Helen is pregnant and June wonders if she’ll get to see the baby before she dies. Helen became pregnant through someone who isn’t going to help support the baby so she consoles in her sister Julia to try to come to accept her choice to bring a baby into the world so late in her life.
Johnny Flynn gets a meaty role as June’s son, Connor, who is struggling to accept the ultimate fate of June. Flynn shines in his earnest scenes within this film and he is properly supported by Fisayo Akinade as a caring nurse named Angel who calls up the family when June believes she may be dying at a particular moment. She really just needs a drink of water. Akinade is also sincere in the performance of his role and gets to play his part in a way that is both believable and heartfelt.
Timothy Spall finally gets to unwind in a scene late in the movie which is set around Christmastime and we learn why he has been so adrift. This picture concludes with the performance of a Christmas-themed story in the hospital room the film mostly takes place in. One grows accustomed to the limited settings of the film which often feels more like a play than a movie.
Spall is the quintessential eccentric here and the actor acquits himself admirably with a decent turn in the film. Helen Mirren, as June, is so subtle here that she seems like she’s holding it together really well most of the time despite the fact that the end of her life is near. June reflects on life and family and does so intelligently with Mirren giving her performance an edge and a softness, simultaneously, that works for the type of dramatic tone the movie sets and maintains throughout.
Goodbye June is almost able to be characterized as a slice of life before dying. It shows how a family gathers to pay their respects to the woman who once led the family and is now facing the end of her existence on this Earth. Winslet and Collette expertly convey the sisterly bond that makes them family and Collette’s insecurities are well-conveyed throughout the film. Winslet plays the glue that should hold the family together even if she’s occasionally falling apart due to the events that are going on around her. Winslet is also subtle here and doesn’t give a very showy performance. It’s a nuanced and solid turn nevertheless. She conveys just about everything that needs to be shared about her character effectively on-screen.
If Goodbye June touches the heart and shows the different ages of family members about to mourn a major loss accurately, it also keeps the audience at just the right distance from the characters at hand. These performers get in dramatic situations to a certain point, but the film never goes overboard in making the picture a difficult movie to watch. Anyone who has suffered the loss of a loved one will appreciate the authenticity of the hospital scenes, but the movie doesn’t pile on heavy scenes any more than it needs to. Instead, we’re left with a movie that is true to life and a celebration of life more than an analysis of death. Winslet shines both in front of the camera and behind it which makes the film worth seeing.
Rating: 7/10
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