Meet Kate Winslet, the director. The Oscar-winning actor (The Reader, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) makes her directorial debut with Goodbye June, a new drama. 

The multihyphenate also stars in the film, which follows four adult siblings (played by Winslet, Toni Collette, Andrea Riseborough, and Johnny Flynn) as they put their differences aside to support their mother, June (Helen Mirren), as her health declines. The siblings spend fraught and difficult days at her bedside in the hospital, but they find hope and warmth in each other as they reconnect and rebuild their family. 

Kate Winslet directing on the set of Goodbye June

PHOTO BY KIMBERLEY FRENCH

Kate Winslet and Timothy Spall on the set of Goodbye June

PHOTO BY KIMBERLEY FRENCH

What is Goodbye June about?

The film 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. But their quick-witted mother, June, orchestrates her decline on her own terms — with biting humor, blunt honesty, and a lot of love. 

Who is in the cast of Goodbye June?

• Kate Winslet (Mare of Easttown, Revolutionary Road, Titanic)
• Toni Collette (The Sixth Sense, Hereditary)
• Johnny Flynn (Ripley, Emma)
• Andrea Riseborough (To Leslie, Birdman or [The Unexpected Virtue or Ignorance])
• Timothy Spall (Mr. Turner, Secrets & Lies)
• Helen Mirren (The Queen, Gosford Park)
• Stephen Merchant (Logan, Jojo Rabbit)
• Fisayo Akinade (Heartstopper, The Girl with All the Gifts)
• Jeremy Swift (Ted Lasso, Downton Abbey)
• Raza Jaffrey (Homeland, Code Black)

Who’s in the creative team behind Goodbye June?

In addition to starring in and directing the film, Winslet also produced it alongside Kate Solomon, with whom she worked on Lee. Joe Anders penned the script. As a first-time director, Winslet prioritized giving opportunities to rising talents behind the camera. It was composer Ben Harlan’s first time scoring a film, as well as production designer Alison Harvey and costume designer Grace Clark’s first times heading a department. “I believe in lifting people up,” Winslet said. “I believe that everyone has to start somewhere.”

When does Goodbye June come out on Netflix?

Goodbye June is now streaming on Netflix.