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| Photo from Internet Movie Poster Awards |
Director: Ellen Kuras
Length: 1h 52m
Genre: War/drama
Rating: Restricted.
Released: Sept. 27 2024 (US)
Welcome!
I am so excited for the first true entry on Reel Thoughts, and I couldn’t have picked a better film even if I tried. On Sept. 30 I saw the film Lee for the first time and on Oct. 8 I saw it a second time. Going into this, I knew nothing about the film or Lee Miller except what was shown in the trailer. Even so, it has quickly become one of my favorite films of all time and definitely the best film I have watched all year. After seeing the movie two times and doing research on Lee Miller Archives, I wish I was told her story before now. It has quickly become one of my favorite films and definitely the best film I have watched all year.
I would be disappointed if this film isn’t nominated for an Oscar, especially due to its cinematography.
Likewise, I would be utterly shocked if Kate Winslet and Andy Samberg aren’t nominated for best actress and best supporting actor, respectively. It is important to note that the film is based on a true story and is inspired by The Lives of Lee Miller, a book written by her son, Antony Penrose.
The amount of things I want to say about this film are vast, but I will keep this tame so I don’t spoil the film. If you watch the trailer you will see that Lee is about Lee Miller, a female photographer (and surrealist, model and gourmet cook) who enlisted as a war correspondent to photograph WWII. While Miller didn’t go to the front lines, she told the stories of the people who were left behind after the fighting had ceased. The director and the cast/crew of this film did such a wonderful job telling Miller’s story while Kate Winslet was phenomenal playing the role of Lee Miller.
The story is told like Miller is telling the story herself, so it features Winslet’s character through many ages; before, during and after the war. Winslet portrayed such a convincing role that you truly feel the emotions through the screen. When she’s sad, the viewer is sad. When she’s mad, the viewer is mad. We see her character happy, in love, drunk, angry, shameful, scared, unnerved etc. and we feel it every single time. There are moments when I, as the viewer, wanted to cry (spoiler alert, I did) but even then it didn’t feel right. Who was I to cry when I have never truly experienced what she was going through. It’s crazy because Winslet wasn’t really going through it, but she portrayed it so well, my emotions couldn’t tell the difference. Winslet’s co-star in Lee was none other than Andy Samberg. I haven’t seen Samberg in anything other than Brooklyn Nine-Nine so this was a new experience for me. I know he has been on Saturday Night Live for many years but it isn't a show that I watch. I would venture to say this is one of the best roles of his career (this is purely my opinion).
I believe I enjoyed this film so much because there were many new perspectives shown to me. I have seen many war films in my time, but this is the first one that didn’t take place on the front lines. It’s not all fighting and combat, it’s the repercussions of it. A new kind of war film that doesn’t feature a soldier.
I would even dare to say this film exhibits themes of feminism. In the film, Miller is the only female photographer, there are some female medics shown and one pilot. The British Army wouldn’t even let Miller become a correspondent because she was a woman. She was accredited with the U.S. Army. Winslet’s character uses being a woman to her advantage. She had to communicate with women and children who suffered the crimes of war. Most of these individuals weren’t scared of women, only the soldiers; only men. I observed the character taking off her helmet and untucking her hair many times when approaching women and children. I wholeheartedly believe this film is a snippet into women’s history.
I think friendship is also a theme in the film because the viewer first see’s Winslet’s character with her group of friends and then we see the friendship between Miller and Sherman. Even in the ending credits it tells the viewers that Sherman and Miller remained friends until the day she passed away.
To wrap this up, I am going to conclude with my most important thoughts. This film is a true work of art because it elicits emotions even after it’s over; from the directing to the acting to the camera work and soundtrack (I cannot say the proper words to describe how much the music went perfect with the film.) It’s easy to forget when you’re watching the film that this really happened.
When I was looking through the photos in Lee Miller’s Archives, it was crazy how the photos in the film were exactly like the real life photos she took. I suppose I didn’t think the photos the character took in the film would be exactly like the photos taken in real life. Obviously, the photos in the film were recreated to match the real ones so they can never be identical. Due to this I urge everyone to go explore the Lee Miller Archives.
This film is the epitome of “a picture can tell a thousand words.” The photos are the real narrator and that is the point. Anyone who consumes or creates any kind of media should watch this film.