Displaying items by tag: Goodbye June movie

GOODBYE JUNE

UK, 2025, 114 minutes, Colour.

Helen Mirren, Timothy Spall, Kate Winslet, Andrea Riseborough, Johnny Flynn, Toni Collette, Fisayo Akinade, Stephen Merchant.

Directed by Kate Winslet.

A film with an appeal to a wide audience. It is a solid British drama. It has a very strong British cast. And, it is the first film directed by Kate Winslet, based on a screenplay by her son, Joe Anders (his father theatre and film director, Sam Mendes, and in his early 20s writing the film). Family.

Very often people don’t like to use the word death, burying the phrase, passing away, or the euphemism, passed. But here is a film about death and dying and no hesitations.

Over the decades audiences have been in admiration for Helen Mirren and the variety of roles that she has played. Helen Mirren turned 80 in 2025 and here she is playing a terminally ill mother family, collapsing at the opening of the film, rushed to hospital, decisions to stay in hospital for some kind of palliative care before her death. And many moments when we the audience share her physical pain.

The focus is on her three daughters, how they relate to their mother, how they relate to each other, their own families. And, with their mother so close to death, they are very conscious of their disputes but having the opportunity to display them, become more aware of, and, with the quiet intervention of their mother, facing up to the realities of their lives, in the past and the present.

The portrayals of the three sisters are very strong. Kate Winslet herself plays the oldest of the three, the reliable one, talented in her work, supporting others financially, children of her own that she feels she does not seen enough of, her husband away on business. By contrast, the second daughter, played by Andrea Riseborough (and glimpses of Stephen Merchant as a husband) is devoted to her children but, soon seen to be a controller, and heavy resentments towards her older sister.

But there is quite a contrast with the third sister, played by Toni Collette, caught up in New Age meditations and practices, living on the continent, with her classes, strong emotions, but afraid that time is passing her by.

The always reliable Timothy Spall plays June’s husband – an interesting portrait of the loving husband but who finds it hard to express emotions, taking refuge in sitting around and nodding off, after the canteen the pub, challenged by his daughters – and a wonderfully emotional sequence when he does a karaoke song, devoted to June.

And, then there are the grandchildren – it is Christmas time and they are preparing to take part in a Christmas pageant. They perform for their grandmother in hospital, more details of the Gospel story in the play than in many explicitly Christmas films. (And the entertaining line with grandfather playing the innkeeper, replying to Mary and Joseph that there is no room at the inn because “it’s Christmas and were very busy”.)

And back again to June, loving her family, not blind to their failures, finding ways to bring them even closer together (, moving sequences on truth-telling and re-discovering love) – and, a pleasing variation on the title when she leaves her letter to her unborn granddaughter, urging her to live her life to the full. And it is signed, Goodbye June.

1. A film about death and dying? Illness? Palliative care and decisions? Family support?
2. Using the language of death and dying, not just simply “passing”?
3. The work of Kate Winslet, her son writing the screenplay, her direction, her performance and presence?
4. The situation, the family, the mother’s illness, treatment, failing, the prospect of dying, soon? The impact on her husband, the past relationship, his coping and not coping? The response of her daughters, the contrasts, the emotion of her son, the grandchildren?
5. June, her age, her marriage, for children, her love them? Her understanding them? The nature of her illness, the treatment, her collapse in the kitchen, getting her to the hospital, the surgery, the gathering of the family? Her response? Her knowing her condition?
6. The doctors, the surgery, their explanations, Molly and her harsh responses, the doctor clicking his pen at her outburst? The decisions? The couple with the palliative care, June and her plan for her future? Molly’s angry outburst? Julia and her apologies?
7. The decision for June to stay in hospital, Molly setting up the roster, not coinciding with Julia? The family and their keeping to the roster, the effect on them all? June, her pain, alleviation, sense of peace, patient with her children, her decision to try to reconcile them?
8. Julia, the oldest, her marriage, her children, the Down Syndrome youngest? Her absent husband and his business, connections? The children and the Christmas play, dropping them at school, the arguments in the car? Her work, responsibilities – and later revelation of her paying for mortgages for her parents, for Molly…? Strong in herself, yet often angry? The interchanges with Molly?
9. Molly, her appearance, her marriage, the children, the baby, bonding with her children, busy at home, to the hospital, her response to her mother, her harshness in listening to the doctors, to the palliative care team? Her roster? Anger with Julia? Her husband in the background, at home, with the children?
10. Connor, living at home, waking, hearing his mother? His age, highly emotional, his response to his mother, to his father, staying at home and caring? Taking his mother to the hospital, his grief, emotions? Relationship with his sisters? His presence?
11. Helen, New Age, in Germany, her sessions, her talk, her clientele, the exercises, the phone call, her coming to London, her mother’s comment about her not wearing yellow, the bond with her mother, with the others? The discovery of her pregnancy? Her partner, her later story about his relationships, Gustav and his being available for surrogacy? Helen. her age, emotions, apprehensive?
12. Bern, the long marriage, his age, appearance, seemingly distracted, with his wife, at home, leaving the tap running, the flooding of the house? His relationship with his daughters? Seemingly self-preoccupied? Food, the pub, the beer, the football matches and his shouting? Fixing the television?
13. Days passing, the roster the visits, the effect on June, health, her pain, the relief?
14. The staff, the character of Angeli, his background, his name, his kindness to Helen, their bonding, his discussions with the children? In the interfaith chapel? Connor wandering into the Chapel, returning, with Angeli, the touch of the hand – and at the end of the final party, as a couple?
15. June and her wanting to reconcile Julia and Molly, the plan with Angel, summoning them, the hurry, June’s device of getting them tell her right the letter to Helen’s child, straight talking to them? The scene together, the corridor, who first? Molly and her own idolising of Julia in the past, imitating her, Julia leaving when Molly was 13,feeling a sense of loss, betrayal? Envy of Julia and her accomplishments? Getting the Snickers, eating? Julia and a declaration about herself, having to take all the responsibilities? The bonding between the two, decision to cook the Christmas meal together?
16. Connor and his exasperation with his father, his father going to the pub, telling his father off, in the pub, Bern choosing Georgia on my mind, substituting Junie, the emotional love for his wife, his son hearing it, their bonding? The house flood, Bern’s denial, different accommodation?
17. The decision for the Christmas play, everybody turning up, the focus on Christmas, details of the Christmas play, the Gospel story, the performance, the humour, the joy?
18. June, with Bern, her dying?
19. The aftermath, the party, everybody together, joy, reconciliation, the toast to June?
20. The finale, her letter to Helen’s child, expression of love, touches of immortality, the nice touch with the title, Goodbye June.