THE WEIGHT OF FAMILY

The news of a beloved family member’s illness brings four estranged siblings together, forcing them to confront not only the limited time they have left as a family, but also years of unresolved resentment, distance and emotional miscommunication.

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That familiar, quietly devastating setup forms the backbone of Goodbye June, a new Netflix drama set during the Christmas season — a time traditionally associated with warmth and togetherness, but here used as a slightly ironic backdrop for grief, regret and emotional reckoning.

On paper, this probably doesn’t sound like the most inviting holiday watch. A dysfunctional family drama unfolding amid festive decorations and seasonal rituals is hardly comforting escapism. Yet Goodbye June, Kate Winslet's directorial debut for Netflix, manages to balance its sombre subject matter with moments of growth, forgiveness, humour and tenderness. It doesn’t reinvent the genre, but it approaches familiar emotional territory with sincerity and restraint.

Winslet, stepping behind the camera for the first time, also assembles an enviable cast. Helen Mirren plays June Cheshire, the family matriarch whose rapidly declining health becomes the catalyst for the story. An unexpected medical turn pulls her four adult children back into the family orbit: Julia (played by Winslet), Helen (Toni Collette), Connor (Johnny Flynn) and Molly (Andrea Riseborough). Adding to the chaos is their exasperating, emotionally distant father Bernie, portrayed by Timothy Spall. As they gather under one roof, old wounds resurface, long-suppressed grievances bubble up and the siblings are forced to renegotiate who they are to one another.