Goodbye June, the new British drama starring Kate Winslet and Timothy Spall, is now streaming on Netflix. With a stacked cast and Winslet heading behind the camera for the very first time, this could be a huge hit over the festive season.
Marking Winslet’s directorial debut, the film follows a family in the lead-up to Christmas as their mother (played by Helen Mirren) approaches her final days, with the group having to confront their grief in the process.
With a script from Winslet’s son Joe Anders, Goodbye June is one of the most anticipated British films of the year, and it is now finally available to stream on Netflix following a limited release in cinemas.
In addition to the aforementioned stars, the cast includes Toni Collette, Johnny Flynn, Andrea Riseborough, Stephen Merchant, Fisayo Akinade, Jeremy Swift and Raza Jaffrey.
So far, Goodbye June has proved to be a hit with critics, with Rotten Tomatoes currently reporting a solid approval rating of 69% from 48 reviews.
In Digital Spy‘s four-star review of the drama, we remarked that the film had the “best cast of the year”, adding: “Guiding your hand through the heartbreak is a cast that would be a dream for any filmmaker.”
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“If the characters sometimes stray towards cliché… or the resolutions somewhat obvious, the talented stars avoid stereotypes to deliver believable characters and an authentic familial chemistry,” we continued.
“A strong directorial debut from Winslet with – as you’d expect – stellar performances from her cast. It might be the perfect antidote to other, overly saccharine Christmas films,” opined Empire Magazine.
Ahead of the drama’s release, Winslet spoke exclusively with Digital Spy about its themes, saying she didn’t view the project as a Christmas film despite it being set during the festive season.
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“I did love the fact that our film is set at Christmas. Actually, some people are describing it as a Christmas film, [but] to me it’s not a Christmas film at all,” said the actor-director, who also serves as a producer.
“I do think it’s the kind of film that we could have released in May and still have that same poignancy for people who have gone through similar situations or who come from families that have complicated dynamics which, let’s face it, so many families do.”
Goodbye June is streaming now on Netflix.
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.