Lee Miller was an iconic war correspondent responsible for some of the most important photos during World War 2. But that’s just a small part of her story, the film Lee alleges. The movie, directed by Ellen Kuras, looks into what made the woman behind these iconic images tick and how the various relationships that she had impacted her and her work. While the subject might be fascinating, the movie can’t quite sustain its intrigue the longer the film goes on.
Kate Winslet is formidable form here as Lee Miller, getting to sink her teeth into a meaty woman. Winslet has always found ways to make even the simplest action compelling, and her grasp on the tough as nails woman who is slowly becoming witness to the terrors of World War 2 is very good. She does so much with her eyes and keeps the emotional life of her character brimming near the surface.
Also turning in adequate performances are Andy Samberg, Alexander Skarsgard, and Andrea Riseborough. As the key people in Miller’s life, they all give little sparks to the film and allow Winslet capable partners to bounce off of.
Unfortunately, everyone is acting in a film that isn’t doing much in the way of being interesting. Director Ellen Kuras does well to balance the needs of the film, particularly as is comes to trying to marshal the humanity amidst the increasing scale but while individual scenes themselves may have an emotional impact, as a whole it feels simply cobbled together; a mere peek into a live well lived than an accounting for that life. This is partly due to the framing device, centered around an interview with Miller and Antony, just being so drab. With a firecracker like Miller, there was ample room to make these interview scenes compelling especially as they continue to butt into the main narrative of her life. As such, they neither frame nor add to the movie in a satisfying way.