Kate Winslet’s passion project, Lee, has finally been released in cinemas some nine years after reports she was starring as the war photographer. Winslet is joined by an illustrious cast of Andy Samberg, who plays a Jewish colleague and Alexander Skarsgård, who plays Lee’s husband. There are also cameos from Marion Cotillard, Andrea Riseborough, Noémie Merlant and Josh O’Connor.
The biopic follows Lee Miller’s journey through the Second World War, from its genesis, where she is a photographer for Vogue, to her persistence to head to the front line, to the aftermath of Hitler’s fall.
This approach allows an individual tale of war without much reference to the voice of Churchill or the rescue at Dunkirk. Instead, the film focuses on Lee’s capturing of the people affected by war, the bystanders who are brushed out of the way, which provides quite a unique and brutally fascinating take on the war biopic.
Similarly to Civil War, which was released earlier this year, Lee inherently enquires about both the power and the ethics of the war photographer. It questions when Lee is allowed to interfere and when she must allow events to take place before her, however much she may disagree with what she is witnessing. Indeed, at times, there is the possibility of helping the subjects of her photographs, but instead, she chooses to document them. However, at other times, she is a carer and a mother to the wounded or the grief-stricken. Despite these observations, it is perhaps Winslet’s awe-inspiring performance rather than the filmmaking that allows these questions to be asked and allows us to become so shaken and moved by the events that unfold in front of her eyes.
Likewise, although a particularly harrowing film, the filmmaking is unremarkable, with most of the film shot in mediums that fail to make most of the strong performances by both Winslet and Andy Samberg, who is captivating in a more dramatic role whilst still holding the charm from the comedy roles that he has made his name from. Likewise, the film suffers similarly to most biopics in its ability to conform to cinematic structure. Therefore, many of the dramatic beats do not align with the points in the film where it is expected, leaving the film feeling slow at times and others too fast. Likewise, at points, Lee’s transformation into a war photographer happens quite fast, making her accomplishments feel less impressive.
The film also has some odd moments with the musical score, particularly in one moment which should feel celebratory; Alexandre Desplat’s score feels tense and haunting, suggesting something bad will happen; however, this never happens, and the euphoric moment feels tarnished. Similarly, the film does not provide enough context into who both Andy Samberg and Josh O’Connor’s characters are; therefore, the film is unable to have the desired effect it wished for.
Whilst in some ways Lee is an unremarkable biopic, powerful performances by Kate Winslet and Andy Samberg, as well as an already harrowing narrative, make the experience powerful and moving.
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