The assumption to presume there’s a personal connection between director Ellen Kuras and photographer Lee Miller, the subject of Kuras’ feature-length narrative debut Lee, isn’t that rash.  An obvious interest for camerawork is shared between Kuras and Miller, and the passion for the craft may have also rubbed off on star Kate Winslet (who Kuras has worked with previously on Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and A Little Chaos, and is credited as an executive producer on Lee).  It’s a lighthearted theory that doesn’t perpetrate cynicism or nepotism, but rather encourages creatives to collaborate and open new opportunities for fellow colleagues.  For example, a screenwriter and an editor may watch Lee, and decide to finally make that action/sci-fi they’ve been putting on the back burner for years.  But, I digress.

The influence of Lee is more interesting to discuss than the movie itself, which is a biographical drama that’s efficient but also very formulaic.  Winslet plays Miller with an admirable sense of ruggedness that commands the screen and controls the movie without hijacking the attention from any of her co-stars.  This attitude is matched well with Miller’s softer side towards those who recognize her sensitivity.  As a field correspondent for Vogue during World War II, she teaches herself the craft of war photography while interacting with victims and co-operating with Life photographer David Scherman (Andy Samberg, a good effort in his first straightforward dramatic role).  More artists working together – that’s my elbow digging into you, not the filmmaker’s.

Lee taught me about Miller and her accomplishments, but also reminded me that period dramas tend to fall into a comfortable storytelling groove.  The viewer feels the weight of the tragedies captured by Miller, but a sense of predictability follows the screenplay (written by Liz Hannah, Marion Hume, and John Collee).  To the film’s credit though, Lee is brilliantly bookended by Winslet and La Chimera’s Josh O’Connor (as a journalist) in a heartfelt twist that I did not see coming.

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Addison Wylie: @AddisonWylie