Lee (2024)

Lee

• War photography is something I’ve been interested in recently. It’s not something I think I would ever realistically go into, but I won’t lie, I think it’d be awesome to be able to experience what those photographers go into. Don’t get me wrong, war isn’t cool, nor are people dying, but being able to see and capture history is just so intriguing to me. This is the third film released in the last two years(ish) that has a war photographer in it (at least ones that I’ve seen). ‘Asteroid City’ has Augie, ‘Civil War’ has Lee Smith, and now ‘Lee’ has Lee Miller. It is funny that in 2024, there are two films centered around a female war photographer named Lee. But anyways, I was excited to watch this one because of my interest in wartime photography. The story is about Lee Miller’s time during WWII, and how her photographs captured the pain, violence, and suffering during the war. The pacing did feel extremely slow, despite the film being just under two hours. Most of the scenes are meaningful and do a good job of showing Lee’s decisions and reactions, but it just feels very drawn out. Kate Winslet gives a fantastic performance, one that will definitely draw some Oscar buzz. She was already nominated for a Golden Globe, so we’ll see. However, Andy Samberg steals every scene he’s in. I’ve only ever seen him in comedic roles, but this dude can be as serious as he needs to be, and it’s a shame his performance is overlooked. Josh O’Connor and Alexander Skarsgard were also nice surprises that did well. Finally, the score was great, the action felt authentic, and the cinematography puts you right into the time and setting, with bland colors and a tragic but nice wartime feel. Overall, this film delivers its message and story, and though it has some weak spots, I enjoyed it, and should hopefully bring in Kate Winslet some more nominations. I’d recommend it to all war/drama fans. This film is officially Berry Approved, so go watch it now!