Goodbye June ending explained: Reason behind June's family celebrating Christmas early

Goodbye June is a film in the Christmas family drama genre. It's the directorial debut of actress Kate Winslet, who has also produced it with Kate Solomon under the banner of 55 Jugglers. The screenplay is written by Joe Anders. It premiered at London's Curzon Mayfair Cinema and was released on Netflix on December 24, 2025. Here's the official synopsis as per Letterboxd:

Four siblings’ lives change drastically when their ailing mother takes a turn for the worse over the holiday season.

Goodbye June is about four siblings who have to come together after their mother's health deteriorates. The storyline takes place during Christmas as the family gathers around the mother to confront their grief and feelings.

Let's explore how the film ends and find out why June and her family decide to celebrate Christmas early.

How does Goodbye June end?

Goodbye June begins with June (played by Helen Mirren) collapsing inside her house and being taken to the hospital by her husband Bernie (Timothy Spall) and her son, Connor (Johnny Flynn). All her children rush to the hospital and realize that her cancer is increasing inside her body. The doctors reveal that she is not fit for another operation, and she only has two weeks to survive.

The children then decide to celebrate their last Christmas with joy. As the film reaches the end, June's health rapidly worsens. Everyone realizes that she might not make it to Christmas. That is when Bernie and the children decide to celebrate Christmas a week early in the hospital. We see them reenacting scenes from the family nativity. The children also perform songs. June passes away while her family is performing the play. All the children get a chance to say goodbye to her for one last time.

The story then jumps a year later as we see the family gathering for Christmas. Helen reads a letter June had left for her before she passed away.

The film ends on an emotionally heavy note, as by the end, all the children realize June's importance in their lives. They have also come to terms with their own mistakes and grief. Kate Winslet spoke to Netflix about the shooting atmosphere when the ending was shot. She said,

“It was so much fun. The children were allowed to choose their costumes, and they could choose the characters they were going to play as well, so everybody felt really actively invested in putting on this show for their nana. There was a natural magic about the experience.”

She also spoke about shooting with child actors.

“Something we had to make sure of with the little ones was that we didn’t say the words death or dying or dead. We would say things like, ‘Nana June’s having a lovely sleep now,’ but, actually, children are so extraordinary at reacting to what’s right in front of them if they believe it. And these were children who truly believed, so much that they reacted accordingly."

The film is streaming on Netflix.