Film Review: Lee

 There have been many films told about this period. This one manages a new way of showing - a feat that you would not think possible but it's true, this has been done. Original storytelling exists. Even in a film that puts the holocaust on screen and dares you to look away with a woman who strode forth with her camera.

We are meant to remember so that it doesn't happen again. Any filmmaker that delves into this period - into this time when humanity was hanging by a thread, therefore has an enormous responsibility to make sure they treat the dead with respect and dignity. 

That responsibility was met and in tandem, they created a beautiful portrait of a woman who would not be beaten, or boxed up with neat words.

Kate Winslet delivers an absolute powerhouse performance as Lee Miller, one for the ages and that future actors should aspire to. The best kind of historical figure portrayals are ones that don't shy away from the ugly side - a portrayal that is multilayered, the great and the good and all the scariness in one bundle. 

Andy Samberg's performance is a revelation - Oscar worthy. It would have been easy for his performance to be overshadowed by Ms Winslet's - she is in nearly every single frame after all but he more than capably holds his own. There is a particular scene that is absolutely gut wrenching and in that moment he grabs your heart and squeezes so hard that you cannot help but want to comfort him from all the horrors he is witnessing.

Alexandre Skarsgard and Marion Cotillard, along with Josh O'Connor and Andrea Riseborough round out the supporting cast - all of them deeply impressive and letting the script breathe. 

Every frame is perfection and true to the beauty and the horror that Lee saw and photographed. 

Another revelation is the score by Alexandre Desplat. He has created beautiful pieces of music for many films but this is something on a higher plane than most and it is truly haunting and somehow poignant.

This is a film that stays with you, for better or worse - it leaves a mark. But it doesn't for one second disappoint.