'Goodbye June' Presents a Good Goodbye

"Goodbye June," the directorial debut of Academy Award winner Kate Winslet, takes place just before Christmas, when an unexpected turn in their mother's health thrusts four adult siblings and their exasperating father into chaos, as they navigate messy family dynamics in the face of potential loss. But their quick-witted mother, June, played by Helen Mirren, orchestrates her decline on her own terms - with biting humor, blunt honesty and a lot of love.

Mirren's career spans stage, screen and television. She won the Academy Award for the film "The Queen." She was appointed Dame of the British Empire in 2003.

At the heart of "Goodbye June," there is a message of hope in the face of loss. A family uniting for the first time in a long time, through the shared experience of giving their mother a good goodbye.

"It's about the human condition," said Winslet. "I hope that people will recognize themselves in the characters. It's a film about family. Some of our most complicated relationships in life are with the people we love the most in the world, the people we are closest to, the people we need the most for support and care."

At the end of the film, she hopes the audience will feel that everything is settled and that there is a sense of closure and peace.

"In the UK, we struggle when talking about death," she said. "The power of a good goodbye is to remember to love each other in the present."

"Goodbye June" is currently streaming on Netflix.