Is Goodbye June Based on a True Story?

In Netflix’s ‘Goodbye June,’ a family comes together when their matriarch’s health worsens to the point of no return. Played by Helen Mirren, the titular June goes through an emergency surgery, following which the doctors reveal that her cancer has come back and is too strong to fight now. This means that her days are numbered, and they are not sure if she will survive till Christmas, which is only a couple of weeks away. This leads June’s four children and her husband to band together and survive this tough time as their personal relationships are tested in the process. Directed by Kate Winslet, the family drama film touches upon some very real issues that the audience may be intimately familiar with. SPOILERS AHEAD.

The Fictional Goodbye June is Inspired by a Real Death in the Writer’s Family

‘Goodbye June’ is a fictional story penned by Joe Anders, who turned towards the difficult time his family went through when his maternal grandmother, Sally, was on her deathbed in 2017. Joe was only thirteen years old at the time, but the way his grandmother’s children (three daughters and one son, like in the movie) came together stayed with him. The push to write the script came from the screenwriting course he attended at the National Film and Television School. It required him to write a script as an assignment, and all the students were instructed to write something personal to them. He thought about his grandma and remembered how wonderfully the family had stayed together to give his grandma a peaceful sendoff that she deserved.

“It really struck me how fortunate we were to have that with her, and how that’s almost never the case for so many people who have deeply complicated family ties where there is often arguing, conflict, and grudges,” he said. This gave him the idea to write the story about a family that doesn’t have it all together and whose frayed relationships are pulled closer in the face of the impending tragedy that is June’s death. This was something that he felt would resonate with everyone. Despite death being a core theme of the story, he didn’t want it to be depressing or dark. He wanted it to be “uplifting and cathartic.”

While writing the story, he structured certain things on his mother’s side of the family. He borrowed the dynamics between them, but he also infused the characters with traits he had observed in others. At the end of the day, all the characters remain entirely fictional creations and don’t correspond to any real person in Joe’s family. The idea to set the story during Christmas time emerged during the writing process. He came up with the line where June talks about having goose instead of turkey for Christmas. This line felt like a reflection of who June was as a person, so he found it better to set the story during Christmas, which further dictated the tone of the story.

Kate Winslet Infused Goodbye June With Heart and Humor

After Joe Anders had written the first draft of his script, he presented it to his mother, Kate Winslet, to get her feedback on it. He hadn’t anticipated how much she would like it, which is why he was surprised when she suggested they could turn it into a movie. Initially, she had considered taking on the project as a producer while also performing the role of Julia in the movie. However, when the time came to find a director, she felt that the story was too personal for her to entrust it to someone else. So, she decided to direct it herself. Once the casting was complete, she attempted to establish a sense of familiarity and trust between the actors. For this, an intense week of rehearsals was conducted. Winslet also used this time to cook meals for the cast and gather them around the kitchen table like a family, allowing them to share their personal stories and connect with each other.

Because she wanted the performances to feel intimate, she decided to use microphones instead of boom mikes. She felt that it was important to allow “the actors to engage freely in the moment without the constraints that traditional filming methods can create,” and focus on capturing “the rawness of their performances.” Much like Joe’s approach of keeping the story lighthearted while dealing with serious issues of mortality and family conflicts, Winslet drew inspiration from movies like ‘Secrets & Lies’ and ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’ to strike a balance between humor. She cited Mike Leigh as a major influence on her filmmaking process. She also encouraged her actors to improvise, relying on their chemistry to deliver moments that feel raw and real.

In the same vein, she incorporated other elements like Julia having a child with Down Syndrome, and another child on the cast being a high-functioning autistic. It was important for her to have the cast feel safe and inclusive, giving them a family-like environment to enhance their performances. Winslet also made sure to include space for nurses and caregivers, and to “give credit and honour the people who do that incredible work, especially our palliative care workers.” At the end of the day, for both Winslet and Joe, the story is about family and relationships, rather than death. They wanted the audience to see themselves in the flawed and messy characters, who, despite their differences, are united by something that can change them forever, for better or for worse.

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