Netflix’s New Kate Winslet Drama Is So Heartbreaking Viewers Say They Had to Pause Just to Breathe — Helen Mirren and a Downton Abbey Star Deliver the Year’s Most Devastating Tearjerker! 😱💔 What starts as a warm Christmas reunion shatters when a mother’s sudden collapse rips through four siblings and their father, forcing buried secrets to the surface. Directed by Kate Winslet in her fearless debut, written by her son Joe Anders, and starring Helen Mirren with Downton Abbey’s Jeremy Swift — this raw family drama is being called “unmissable” and “almost too painful to watch.” Watch below 👇👇
know Christmas feels like a long way off right now, but Netflix has just released a first look at a new drama that could be at the top of your festive watchlist. Goodbye June marks the directorial debut of Hollywood star Kate Winslet and follows a family whose lives descend into chaos when their mother’s health suddenly takes a turn for the worse. With a cast that includes Downton Abbey‘s Jeremy Swift, as well as British acting royalty Helen Mirren and Kate Winslet, the heartfelt film is set to be a seasonal must-watch.
HELLO!’s Acting TV Editor Nicky Morris said: “I’m definitely marking my calendar for this one. I’m a huge fan of Kate Winslet and will pretty much watch anything she’s in, but Goodbye June looks particularly special. Not only is the cast amazing, but Kate is teaming up with her son, Joe Anders, who pens the film.” Here’s everything you need to know about the new film – including those first-look pictures…
The siblings grapple with their mother’s news
What to expect from Goodbye June
Set in the UK, the film tells the story of a fractured group of siblings who must come together after receiving shocking news about their mother.
The official synopsis reads: “It’s nearly 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.”
© Kimberley French/NetflixJulia is the most successful of the siblings
As well as directing, Kate Winslet (Mare of Easttown, Revolutionary Road, Titanic) stars as one of June’s children, Julia, while June is played by Helen Mirren (The Queen, Gosford Park).
© Kimberley French/NetflixToni Collette plays Kate’s on-screen sister
Who stars in Goodbye June?
Timothy Spall (Mr. Turner, Secrets & Lies) plays June’s exasperating husband, while Andrea Riseborough (To Leslie, Birdman or [The Unexpected Virtue or Ignorance]), Toni Collette (The Sixth Sense, Hereditary) and Johnny Flynn (Ripley, Emma) complete the cast of Julia’s siblings.
© Getty ImagesJeremy Swift played butler Mr. Spratt in Downton Abbey
Rounding out the cast are Jeremy Swift (Ted Lasso, Downton Abbey), Stephen Merchant (Logan, Jojo Rabbit), Fisayo Akinade (Heartstopper, The Girl with All the Gifts) and Raza Jaffrey (Homeland, Code Black).
© Kimberley French/NetflixKate is directing and starring in Goodbye June
Kate Winslet’s directional debut
The project also marks a reunion between Kate Winslet and producer Kate Solomon, who previously worked together on Lee.
The screenplay was written by Winslet’s son Joe Anders, 21. Speaking to Deadline, Kate admitted that the thought of handing the film to another director felt “like I’d been stabbed in the gut.”
She told her son: “As soon as we give this to another director, it becomes theirs… I want us to really feel like we’ve done this. I want to direct it.”