Is ‘Goodbye June’ based on true story? All about Kate Winslet’s moving new film written by 21-yr-old son
Kate Winslet was all praise for her son ahead of her new film, 'Goodbye June'. The 'Titanic' actress makes her directorial debut with her Netflix film, with her 21-year-old son, Joe Anders, serving as the screenwriter. The work also serves as his first screenplay.
Speaking on the BBC’s The Graham Norton Show, the Oscar winner said the movie was based on a true story: ‘My wonderful son wrote it, he did a screenwriting course and was encouraged to write from the heart, and the most significant thing that had happened to him was the loss of his grandmother when he was 13. When I read it, I said, "'you’ve written a film, and we are going to make it.' I knew I couldn’t let it go, so now, at 50 years old, I am a director. It was an extraordinary experience."
The Christmas drama also boasts a solid cast in Dame Helen Mirren playing the titular June and Timothy Spall as her husband. Andrea Riseborough, Johnny Flynn, and Toni Collette play siblings alongside Winslet.
Winslet also added that Mirren had certain rules when it came to picking projects, but made an exception for 'Goodbye June'. The star recalled, "When I was telling her about the film, she said, "I am going to stop you because I have two personal rules: 'I will not play anyone with dementia or anyone with cancer.' She still asked to see the script, and then she sent me an email saying she was breaking her own rule because it was such a wonderful project."
Speaking about the film, Winslet said it was more than what the title implied. "I just wanted to make a film that felt authentic and real," she said. "I also didn’t want to make a story that was about someone who dies, because it’s really not, it’s actually about the life that is given to the people who are left behind and that family."
'Goodbye June' releases in select cinemas in the United Kingdom and the United States on 12 December 2025. The movie premieres on Netflix on 24 December 2025.
