“Lee” Misses the Mark

Lee (Ellen Kuras, 2023) 2 out 5 stars

American photographer Lee Miller played an important role in documenting both military activities and Nazi atrocities during World War II, even if her work remained largely unknown during her lifetime. After her death, at 70, in 1977, her son, Antony Penrose, discovered her long-hidden treasure trove of photographs; he would eventually publish, in 1985, a biography of his mother entitled The Lives of Lee Miller. That work serves as the basis for Lee, the narrative-feature directorial debut of veteran cinematographer Ellen Kuras (Jane).

Kate Winslet (Ammonite) stars in the titular role. As is usual, she brings her deep commitment to the part, imbuing Miller with a passion to document everything she sees, as well as with an irrepressible zest for life. Alexander Skarsgård (Infinity Pool) plays the man she marries, artist and collector Roland Penrose (father of Antony). Andy Samberg (Palm Springs) is David E. Scherman, Miller’s wartime collaborator and friend. Neither men are particularly well-drawn here, nor is Antony, himself, incarnated by Josh O’Connor (La Chimera). Ideally, this should leave more room for Miller to shine.

Unfortunately, the script does its subject no great service, presenting information in an initial hodgepodge of haphazard events. Following a quick prologue set in the middle of battle, we cut to 1977, with Antony (as yet unidentified) interviewing his mother. From there, we jump quickly to 1938, the specter of war just peeking over the horizon. Miller is in Mougins, France, near the Riviera, surrounded by Bohemian friends whose identities we barely gather. We catch that she plans to transition from model to photographer, but all details remain vague.

Soon, she and Penrose the elder, whom we met with her in France, are living in London as war breaks out. One thing leads to another and she makes her way to British Vogue, looking for work. Eventually, after meeting Scherman, she travels to mainland Europe, where she (and sometimes he) chronicle the conflict and resultant horrors, including what they find in concentration camps (with a stop in Hitler’s apartment along the way, where they snap a justly celebrated frame). Kuras stages each scene with skill; the problem is the narrative framework.

The real-life Miller had quite a creatively robust past for years before 1938, working with surrealist genius Man Ray. She was not, as presented here, merely a successful model with the sudden inspiration to step behind the camera. This is just one of the dramatic misfires of the screenplay. Beyond that, the disjointedness of each sequence prevents us from developing an emotional connection to the material, which is quite remarkable, given the nightmares on the ground.

Winslet is always watchable, however. An actress of superlative talent, she imbues each onscreen moment in which she features with an intensity that, sadly, the movie cannot fully support. She’s worth seeing, even if Lee, itself, falls short.

Christopher Llewellyn Reed

Christopher Llewellyn Reed is a film critic, filmmaker, and educator, as well as Film Festival Today's Editor. A member of both the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) and the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), and a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, Chris is, in addition, lead film critic at Hammer to Nail and the author of Film Editing: Theory and Practice.