Kate Winslet steps into war photographer Lee Miller’s world

MUMBAI: Kate Winslet leads the charge in Lee, a stirring biographical war drama that follows the remarkable life of photojournalist Lee Miller. The film arrives in India on 5 December on Lionsgate Play, inviting viewers into the lens of a woman who refused to let history slip by unrecorded.

Set against the turbulence of the second world war, Lee charts Miller’s journey from celebrated fashion model to fearless frontline correspondent. Winslet delivers a commanding performance as the woman whose camera captured some of the twentieth century’s most haunting images. Director Ellen Kuras, best known for her work behind the cinematographer’s eye, brings Miller’s world to life with striking detail, from the artistic pulse of pre war Europe to the grim realities of occupied territories.

As Miller documents devastation, slips into places few women were allowed to enter, and confronts the horrors unfolding around her, the film highlights her unshakeable spirit and unwavering belief in truth. It also ventures beyond the battlefield to explore the woman behind the camera, revealing her relationships, conflicts and the emotional cost of witnessing humanity at its most fragile. One of the film’s most unforgettable moments recreates Miller’s iconic photograph taken in Hitler’s private bathroom, a symbol of defiance as much as documentation.

Speaking about the role, Kate Winslet said she felt instantly connected to Miller. “I’m just so taken by her, how she lived, how she didn’t care what people thought of her or her choices and opinions,” she said. “To be playing someone who I truly admire, adore, look up to and aspire to be even a little bit like is the most enormous privilege. Lee Miller was a truth seeker and a truth teller. She held up a mirror to the horrific faces of evil while being a selfless, defiant observer herself.”  

Antony Penrose, Miller’s son, noted the uncanny similarities he observed between his mother and Winslet. He praised the actor’s immersive dedication and her instinctive curiosity, qualities he believes echo Miller’s own relentless pursuit of understanding.

Featuring performances from Alexander Skarsgård, Marion Cotillard, Josh O’Connor, Andrea Riseborough, Noémie Merlant, Samuel Barnett and Andy Samberg, Lee offers a layered portrait of art, war, love and resistance. It is a story that looks directly at darkness yet finds the flickers of humanity that survive within it.

Lee streams exclusively on Lionsgate Play from 5 December.