The film Lee Miller, directed by Ellen Kuras, was released this Wednesday, October 9, and, like a hesitant soldier in the rain, it struggles to stand upright. Yet, there is a glimmer of hope in the person of Kate Winslet, who portrays war photographer Lee Miller with undeniable fervor. Brilliant, committed, and perhaps even too good for the film surrounding her, Winslet attempts to elevate this clumsy work by immersing us in the tumultuous life of a pioneer of photojournalism, traversing World War II with her camera as her only weapon.
From the Flash of Lights to the Shadow of the Trenches
The journey of Lee Miller could make any screenwriter shiver. Born in 1907 in Poughkeepsie (yes, this place really exists), she started as a model before breaking free from the flashes to capture the war, a growing passion for photography that led her to the battlefields of Europe. Man Ray took her under his wing, but Lee refused to be crushed under the label of “muse” – she had grit, and it was needed, for in 1942, British Vogue sent her to document the war with a female perspective on a world ravaged by men.
The film attempts to capture this duality, but where the project stumbles is in its execution: Ellen Kuras’s direction aims for grandiosity but ends up resembling a PowerPoint montage of Lee’s most famous historical shots. As for Kate Winslet, she delivers an admirable performance, juggling vulnerability and determination, but the work surrounding her doesn’t always know what to do with her. It’s as if a Bentley was given to someone who doesn’t know how to drive.
War, Miller Style: Fearless, Bold, (and Better Without Men)
Lee Miller, a war photographer at a time when women were as rare on the front lines as a truce in the trenches. The film constantly reminds us of the obstacles she had to overcome to impose her vision. In a delightfully absurd scene, she disguises herself as a man to enter a press club reserved for male correspondents. A moment where one wonders: how could someone so talented be so underestimated? But the film seems much more comfortable rehashing this question rather than answering it with subtlety.
We understand, however, why Kate Winslet wanted to co-produce the film. Committed, she entrusted the reins to a woman, because in her own words, “It was unthinkable for a man to tell this story.” That, at least, is an achievement. But is it enough to save a biopic that sometimes stretches as long as the long winter nights in a bunker? Not sure.
Heroism Too Well Wrapped in Gift Paper
The film attempts, with an almost touching clumsiness, to remind us that Lee Miller was much more than just a photographer. Her images of the horrors of Dachau and Hitler’s Lair are among the first to reveal the atrocities of concentration camps. The film, however, shows us these moments with a heaviness and academicism that contrast with the subject’s liveliness. Miller saw the war closer than many men, and yet, here, she often seems sidelined, a spectator of her own life.
Worse still, the psychological scars that plagued her after the war, leading her to alcoholism, are addressed with an almost clinical empathy. Winslet, true to her habit, excels in these scenes, but one can’t help but think that all this could have been treated with more depth and less solemnity.
A Portrait of a Woman, Still Relevant… at Least in Theory
In a world still shaken by conflicts, Lee Miller‘s journey resonates like a distant echo. But this biopic often gets bogged down in clichés instead of surprising us. The performances are solid – Marion Cotillard, Josh O’Connor, and Noémie Merlant do well – but they seem lost in a narrative that, by trying to show everything, ends up losing us along the way.
Lee Miller, despite its weaknesses, remains an important tribute, but one can’t help but think that with a bit more boldness (and better editing), the film could have truly left a mark, just like the photographer herself.
In short, while Kate Winslet saves the day, the film itself could have used a few more tweaks in the darkroom of the script.
