‘Lee’ Review – A Powerful, Engaging Portrayal Of A History-Changing Female War Photographer

Ellen Kuras and Kate Winslet have been working together for many years, including on projects such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and A Little Chaos. Kuras as the cinematographer with a sharp eye and Winslet as the actress who can deliver stirring, diverse and multilayered acting. Both again team up for their next project, Lee, but with one massive change. While Winslet still delivers a ferocious performance, Kuras sits in the director’s chair for the first time. Together with an impeccable A-list cast and an incredible score by Alexandre Desplat (The King’s Speech, Philomena), they bring the story of World War II war photographer and correspondent Lee Miller engrossingly to the big screen.

The feature – which has been in the pipeline for eight years – is based on the book by Antony Penrose, Miller’s son. Penrose (played by Challengers‘ Josh O’Connor) wasn’t aware of his mother’s heroic and history-changing work when she was alive. It was only after Miller’s death, when he opened a box containing her pictures, including a few horrifying shots taken during the Holocaust, that he found out what her legacy truly meant to the world. By going through the items in the box, Penrose could finally connect with this mother. That bonding aspect is woven into the film by writers Liz Hannah (All The Bright Places, Long Shot), Marion Hume and John Collee (Monkey Man, Hotel Mumbai) in the form of an interview between the curious son and the fearless mother in 1977.

If you didn’t know O’Connor was portraying Miller’s son, you would have thought he was just an interviewer with much respect for the interviewee. His performance is subtle and emotional, and sometimes, it’s a bit too restrained. It’s only during the retrospective moments that the extent of who Penrose actually is becomes really clear. While that revelation is a bit abrupt—just like the ending itself—it ensures that this movie becomes even more personal and touching.

When Penrose and Miller are recounting her life, the director takes you back to the late 30s, a time during which fascism was rising, just like the prejudices against women. While the first signs of the impending Second World War arise, Miller and her circle of artsy friends try repressing those with wine, food and love. After meeting Roland Penrose (Alexander Skarsgård), Miller and her new passionate lover decide to move to London, and that’s when she finds her purpose in life.

From wanting her stirring pictures to appear in Vogue to her going to the front to capture the horrendous events, Miller is unafraid to go after what she wants, even if that means going head-to-head with the people she loves. While she is an accredited journalist, Miller faces many hurdles because she’s a woman. At first, this certainly is an obstruction to her work, but soon Miller realizes that even a prejudicial world wasn’t going to stop her from capturing the Second World War horror. Without hesitation, she pushes back against misogyny while also capturing the horrific times to ensure that people, newspapers and the British government saw the horrendous happenings in Germany.

Because of her boundary-pushing work  – which even includes photographs taken in Hitler’s actual residence – it’s incomprehensible why only a handful of people know Miller’s work. She had a massive impact on war photography and the role and vision of women. As the photographer, she took the most heartbreaking war pictures out there. Whether it’s photos depicting the isolated German concentration camps, the starved prisoners who were on the brink of death or women who are taught a lesson by society, each shot will leave no one untouched.

We can say the same about the shots by the Kuras and her cinematographer Pawel Edelman (The Pianist, Oliver Twist). It becomes instantly clear that the filmmaker has been behind the camera for many projects, as she knows how to get the best out of every shot. Her way of filming might seem old-fashioned, but it works tremendously well for a story like this. Instead of using CGI, she creates simple but effective shots by placing the camera on Miller’s shoulder. This technique results in a personal and immersive experience as you witness the horror, bloodshed and bullet rains from up close.

Besides the expertly crafted scenes, the movie can also count on solid acting. All the performances ensure that this film becomes a homage to a courageous woman, with Winslet’s being the most tremendous one. Alongside her, we also have a terrific Andrea Riseborough (Oblivion, To Leslie) as Audrey Withers, editor of British Vogue at the time, a frail and fragile Cotillard (Inception, Annette) as Miller’s friend and the wonderful Skarsgård (Infinity Pool, The Northman) as Lee’s loving but also narrow-minded husband. However, it’s Andy Samberg (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Palm Springs) who truly excels in his role as David E. Scherman, Miller’s colleague/war correspondent. He leaves his usual goofiness and silliness at the door and delivers a solid, stern, vital performance.

Lee absolutely is a powerful, engaging portrayal of a remarkable female war photographer who stepped up to the challenge during a period of war, sadness, and bloodshed. The whole ensemble delivers top-class performances, with Winslet and Samberg being phenomenal. Miller is clearly someone the world should know about, and Lee is the perfect starting point.  

Lee is out in cinemas on the 27th of September courtesy of Roadside Attractions/Vertical