Film Review – Goodbye June (2025)

      Goodbye June, 2025.

      Directed by Kate Winslet.

      Featuring Kate Winslet, Toni Collette, Johnny Flynn, Andrea Riseborough, Timothy Spall, Helen Mirren, Stephen Merchant, Fisayo Akinade, Jeremy Swift, and Raza Jaffrey.

      SYNOPSIS:

      The lives of four siblings are profoundly impacted when their sick mother’s condition worsens during the holiday season.

      In her directorial debut, Kate Winslet presents Goodbye June, a story that feels all too familiar, particularly since Netflix previously released a more impactful and emotionally charged version less than two years ago. The main difference here is the Christmas setting, presumably to provide subscribers with some seasonal drama.

      The film it references is Azazel Jacobs’ His Three Daughters, a single-location experience reminiscent of stage plays, featuring the main characters navigating their differences while supporting their father in hospice care toward a peaceful end. In this adaptation, Winslet, collaborating with first-time screenwriter Joe Anders (an emerging actor who has worked with her before), introduces a male sibling and replaces the father figure with a mother. Although the cast delivers commendable performances, the film lacks depth and dramatic engagement. The screenplay exudes an amateurish quality as we observe these siblings bicker and deal with their struggles in various ways.

      In the film, Helen Mirren’s June battles cancer, and her treatment has ceased to be effective. In fact, it’s suggested that had her treatment been administered differently, she might have lived a bit longer. Doctors now worry that she may not survive the surgery needed to address a blockage near her stomach. The rest of the family is eager to bring her home for one last Christmas celebration, but June has privately discussed alternative options with her medical team, opting to remain in the hospital and embrace her passing gracefully.

      The situation complicates further as sisters Julia (Kate Winslet) and Molly (Andrea Riseborough) have a strained relationship for typical reasons, which gradually unfold. Their sister Helen (Toni Collette), a solitary woman living across the country and estranged from the family, comes home for the occasion with a quirky demeanor that feels out of place. Connor (Johnny Flynn), who lives with June and her husband Bernie (Timothy Spall), is there to care for them as the situation deteriorates, which becomes evident early on.

      Essentially, the characters lack intrigue, and with such a large family, it’s hard to view them as fully realized individuals. The exception seems to be Bernie, who often behaves foolishly in the hospital, navigating a generic manual wheelchair as if on a joyride. When he’s in the hospital, he mostly sleeps, and when awake, he is often drinking. This behavior may seem erratic and selfish, but it actually reflects his struggle to come to terms with June’s impending death before Christmas.

      Another minorly compelling dynamic is that while Julia and Molly already have children for June to bond with as a grandmother, the expectant Helen will miss out on sharing that connection with her mother. Unfortunately, like many other subplots, this thread is introduced but not fully explored, leaving it to the actors to elevate it before the story shifts focus.

      In general, I typically avoid reviewing Christmas movies released by Netflix, as their quality is usually lacking. Here, I was drawn in by the cast and overlooked the synopsis. It’s genuinely disheartening that a talented actress like Kate Winslet can accomplish so little with this narrative. While the performances are commendable, Goodbye June falters due to its excessive sentimentality and weepiness, aiming for added emotional impact due to its holiday setting. There is nothing egregiously offensive, but by the halfway point, one wishes to part ways with the characters without concern for their reconciliations.

      Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★

      Robert Kojder