Courtesy of TIFF
TORONTO, Canada—Lee Miller was an iconoclastic model-turned-photographer who lived life without care for, or fear of, the hostile barriers and adversaries standing in her way. Lee, on the other hand, is a biopic that hews doggedly to formula, in the process reducing its subject’s tale to merely a standard-issue Hollywood prestige picture. Though stirringly headlined by Kate Winslet, it’s a by-the-books affair in almost every respect—including visually, which is all the more deflating given that it’s the dramatic directorial debut of celebrated cinematographer Ellen Kuras.
Having collaborated (often on non-fiction features) with numerous luminaries such as Martin Scorsese (No Direction Home: Bob Dylan, Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story), Jonathan Demme (Neil Young: Heart of Gold), Spike Lee (Bamboozled, 4 Little Girls), Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Be Kind Rewind), and Errol Morris (Wormwood), Kuras unquestionably knows what she’s doing.
As a result, it’s surprising to discover that Lee adheres to a conventional aesthetic template, full of warm light coming through living room windows, dusty haze filling the war-torn air, and plaintive piano and poignant orchestral compositions embellishing the stately action. All things considered, it’s a handsome film, but only in the blandest way; there’s no trace of uniqueness or daring, this despite the fact that its protagonist was defined by those very traits.