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(Les Films du Losange) Imogen Poots in \u201cThe Chronology of Water\u201d<\/p>\n
With Stewart\u2019s debut feature fresh in the public\u2019s consciousness and garnering awards buzz, it\u2019s peculiar that Kate Winslet<\/a> \u2014 whose pedigree is arguably stronger than Stewart, Dickinson and Johansson\u2019s combined \u2014 had her directorial debut all but dumped onto a streamer. Winslet\u2019s \u201cGoodbye June,\u201d about a family coming together over the holidays when their terminally ill mother takes a turn for the worse, was unceremoniously plopped onto Netflix on Christmas Eve, far from the red carpet rollout one would expect for an artist of her stature. Given the narrative and thematic overlap between \u201cGoodbye June\u201d and \u201cThe Chronology of Water,\u201d this dissonance is even more curious. Here are two films largely about torturous family dynamics; why is Winslet\u2019s getting the shaft? The answer points right back to that old actor-director joke. Just like not everyone is destined to be an actor, even fewer actors have what it takes to direct.<\/p>\n Though it\u2019s not for a lack of trying. In Winslet\u2019s case, it\u2019s more the baffling lack of compelling material. Working with a decent if cloying screenplay by her son, Joe Anders, Winslet aims to capture all of the intimate moments and outsized chaos that large families are prone to weaving between. She\u2019s even working with the actor-turned-director cheat code, starring in her own film as well as directing it. For actors struggling to convey their vision behind the camera, stepping back in front is a surefire way to salvage at least some of the film with their own ability. But in \u201cGoodbye June,\u201d it\u2019s not the cast that\u2019s underperforming; it\u2019s Winslet.<\/p>\n (Kimberley French \/ Netflix) Kate Winslet directing on the set of \u201cGoodbye June\u201d<\/p>\n In the film, Winslet plays Julia, the strong-willed eldest sibling of the Cheshire clan, too often charged with being the glue holding her family together. On top of trying to manage her own marriage and three young children, Julia has to keep a watchful eye on her less successful sisters, Molly (Andrea Riseborough<\/a>) and Helen (Toni Collette<\/a>), and her sweet but aimless brother, Connor (Johnny Flynn), who lives with their parents, June (Helen Mirren<\/a>) and Bernie (Timothy Spall<\/a>). It\u2019s a tall order, and when June has a fall that sends her back into the hospital \u2014 and soon after, hospice \u2014 Julia must wrangle her dysfunctional family and rally them all to face the inevitable.<\/p>\n \u201cGoodbye June\u201d mulls over the beauty of life and the indignity of death, but never fully engages with either facet of our relatively short existence. Mirren, Winslet and Flynn are especially lovely in the movie\u2019s quieter moments, but rarely do they linger long enough to stay with the viewer after Winslet calls \u201ccut.\u201d The film is filled with predictable turns and familiar spats that could be found in any other family drama, and suffers greatly from its narrative proximity to \u201cThe Family Stone<\/a>,\u201d a far better and more memorable film wrestling with the same subjects in more thoughtful, meditative and character-focused ways. (It doesn\u2019t help the film\u2019s case that \u201cThe Family Stone\u201d is especially relevant this year, following Diane Keaton<\/a>\u2019s death. And while that\u2019s no fault of Winslet\u2019s, it does impress just how forgettable \u201cGoodbye June\u201d is compared to its classic holiday predecessor.)<\/p>\n Want more from culture than just the latest trend? The Swell highlights art made to last. \u201cThe Chronology of Water,\u201d on the other hand, is a wholly unforgettable turn for Stewart, who lets her actors do all the storytelling while she remains laser-focused on exploring artful and stylish new storytelling modes. The film is a free-flowing adaptation of Lidia Yuknavitch<\/a>\u2019s memoir, lyrically detailing its author\u2019s experiences with swimming, substances and sexual abuse, and led by a commanding, ferocious performance from Imogen Poots. In her refusal to shy away from the grime and grit of Yuknavitch\u2019s story, Stewart creates a startlingly raw atmosphere that ricochets between discordant and truly inspiring. \u201cThe Chronology of Water\u201d is glaringly loud at one moment and soft as silk the next, and Stewart\u2019s confident directorial eye makes these vast leaps feel earned and, more importantly, human.<\/p>\n Watching \u201cThe Chronology of Water,\u201d one can instantly understand what would draw an artist like Stewart to the project. Throughout her career, Stewart has made a name for herself with surprising, boundary-pushing roles designed to stretch an actor\u2019s abilities. Her performances in \u201cPersonal Shopper<\/a>,\u201d \u201cClouds of Sils Maria<\/a>,\u201d and \u201cSpencer<\/a>\u201d aren\u2019t just some of the finest work of a young actor of Stewart\u2019s caliber; they\u2019re genuinely interesting, speaking to who Stewart is as a person, a performer and a woman. \u201cThe Chronology of Water\u201d feels like the natural next step: a film that refuses to dull its bite and forces the viewer into its abrasive tone, confident that they\u2019ll grow accustomed to its rhythm. Beyond that, Yuknavitch\u2019s story is that of a woman desperately trying to escape the shadow of her younger years and find her place as an artist in the world. Surely, the star of the \u201cTwilight<\/a>\u201d franchise can understand that.<\/p>\n (Kimberley French \/ Netflix) Kate Winslet and Toni Collette in \u201cGoodbye June\u201d<\/p>\n But in Winslet\u2019s case, it\u2019s difficult to get an immediate reading on why \u201cGoodbye June\u201d is the film she\u2019d want to debut with as a director. Other than the fact that the story is set in England and that Winslet\u2019s son wrote the film, there\u2019s no sense of Winslet in the movie, no immediate clue for the viewer who doesn\u2019t know the familial connection as to why this film in particular was so special that an actor of such incredible esteem would say, \u201cYes, this is the one.\u201d Perhaps it\u2019s also because \u201cGoodbye June\u201d is a lighter foray into directing; it doesn\u2019t require formal style or a whole lot of heavy narrative execution, just the occasional balancing of some more sentimental emotional beats, which, to her credit, Winslet does quite well. But when I think of Winslet\u2019s career, I think of big, bold swings and daring roles. I think of blockbuster gold and indie artistry alike. I don\u2019t think of someone who likes to play it safe. And while every film doesn\u2019t need to be an intensely demanding challenge, it\u2019s perplexing that someone with such a compelling on-screen presence has trouble translating that force to her first outing as a director.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/kate-winslet-goodbye-june.jpg\")
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