GOODBYE JUNE 😊

GOODBYE JUNE is Kate Winslet’s directorial debut. It is seeped within, what I call, the business of dying. There is a timeline to death. This particular one took viewers through one argumentative, fractured family and their journey to come together. It is a tear-jerker, but well-handled so as not to devastate anyone during the holiday season. Thank goodness. This is because acting experts clearly handle the script. 

Helen Mirren, Timothy Spall, Johnny Flynn, Toni Collette, Andrea Riseborough, and Kate Winslet are the storytellers. They each offer viewers rich layers of years of both joy and disappointment. It is the same in most families when facing end-of-life decisions. Who will step up? Who can’t face or deal with the everyday choices and setbacks? Who are the singers, the ones who still find light during dark days? It is all here in GOODBYE JUNE. Having gone through these moments myself, I can say it reeks of truths. I don’t believe dying is as tricky as it is for those who will go on living. Gentle snow will fall to remind us all how fleeting is one’s life. 

GOODBYE JUNE is about one wise soul who touches everyone around. It is about connectivity and forgiveness. It’s a reminder that some things don’t matter in the end. Yes, it is predictable, and it could have drawn out more emotional arcs for every family member. But it is also a solid film about a somber topic. Nicely done, Kate. Not everyone would have chosen this for their first solo venture. 

GOODBYE JUNE is streaming on Netflix.