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Lee (2024) is a biographical drama that delves into the life of Lee Miller, a renowned war photojournalist and correspondent. The film is based on Anthony Penrose’s book The Lives of Lee Miller, and it explores the fascinating life she led before fully dedicating herself to photography. The people she associated with during that time were equally captivating, adding depth to her journey.
When an opportunity arises at British Vogue to cover stories from the war front, Lee eagerly steps forward. However, as she begins documenting the war’s aftermath, she finds herself drawn into a dark and harrowing reality. As she ventures deeper into Germany, particularly when witnessing the horrors of the concentration camps, the emotional toll becomes overwhelming, transforming her perspective on both war and life.
This article contains spoilers.
Lee (2024) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
The film opens with Lee Miller amidst bombings in France. In the 70s, a young man interviewed Lee, asking her about the stories behind the photographs Lee had captured. Thus begins the story of Lee and her journey as a war correspondent. In 1938, in France, Lee had already been a model, a muse, and an ingénue.
The things Lee is good at are drinking, having sex, and taking pictures. As Lee hangs out with other creative friends of hers, a new person joins the group. This man is Roland Penrose. Unlike others, Roland challenges Lee without being afraid of her. Later that night, Lee and Roland sleep together. After that, Lee and Roland start dating, and Lee moves to London.
Why has Lee’s request to be on the war front been declined?
By this time, Hitler was gaining power and popularity in Europe, and none of Lee’s friends supported Hitler. In 1940, Lee was leading an ordinary life in London, as Hitler’s reign seemed far off, and the tyranny had not reached London yet. Since Lee was already in her 30s and considered too old to model, Lee decided to become a photographer.
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Lee meets Audrey from the British Vogue, who is impressed with Lee’s work, but unfortunately, Vogue is not hiring at the moment. At home, Roland informs Lee that all their friends, Paul, Nusch, Solange, and Jean, are all hiding from the Nazis. Because of this, Paul and Nusch joined the resistance. Even though Audrey didn’t hire Lee at the first meeting, Audrey caves in as Vogue has a new mission.
Along with fashion, Vogue now wants to cover the war front stories. So Lee joins as a war photojournalist. Initially, Lee captures images of destroyed buildings in London and the changing landscapes. Usually, Lee likes to work alone, but now David/Davey from Life Magazine joins Lee. Realizing the seriousness of the war, Lee is determined to do something about it.
Unfortunately, women in the press were not allowed to be on the ground to capture images. So Lee starts by clicking images of female British officers. Time and again, Lee tries to get permission from Vogue to let Lee go to the war front. However, the request keeps getting declined.
Why was Saint-Malo an active war zone again?
Thanks to Davey, Lee realizes she is an American, so she reaches out to the American Vogue and gets permission to go to the war front. In 1944 Lee arrives enthusiastically at Normandy, but her plans fail as women journalists are not even allowed to attend the press meets. However, Lee disguises as a man and attends the meeting.
Colonel Spencer recognizes Lee and asks her to take photographs of the medics in the camps and injured soldiers. This is also a part of war, so Lee watches and captures the other side of the war, where wounded soldiers struggle. In one of the medical camps, a man is covered in bandages. He asks Lee to take a picture of him and publish it to show his girl how brave he was during the war.
Luckily, Colonel Spencer sends Lee to Saint-Malo, but before Lee leaves, she needs to write her obituary and send it to the magazine, as is the norm in such situations. It is not an active war zone now as the town has been pacified, but Lee can get some pictures to showcase an idea of what war looks like.
When Lee gets to the city, there are fires and explosions around her. One of the officers rescues and takes Lee to the shelter. Because it is an active zone now, Lee takes pictures. When Lee interacts with the common folk, Lee realizes one of the girls was taken advantage of by a Nazi soldier to get information about the night drops.
What do Davey and Lee witness in the concentration camp?
Luckily the Nazis show a white flag and leave. Soon, Davey joins Lee in Saint-Malo. Finally, Paris is liberated, but Lee knows the war is far from over. In Paris, Lee visits Solange’s place and is shocked to see the effects of the war. It turns out Solange and her partner Jean were put in prison.
Once Solange was released, she couldn’t find Jean. Unfortunately, the Nazis shot Solange’s son when he was waiting to welcome the Americans. Through Solange, Lee also learns that thousands of people are taken away on trains, and those who board that train never return. That night, Lee gets drunk and breaks down.
While still in Paris, Lee bumps into Nusch and Paul, who also confirms the train story. The next day, Roland visits Lee and asks her to return home. However, Lee is unwilling to leave when she knows she can tell the people the truth that is not known. Now more than ever, Lee is determined to capture the atrocities of the war.
Soon, Davey and Lee leave Paris and cross over to the German side. The streets of Germany are grim-looking, with demolished buildings everywhere. In Germany, Colonel Spencer leads the way and explains that more and more families are killing themselves by taking cyanide. As Lee and Davey drive around, they come across one of these trains of death. The smell is unbearable as the train is filled with dead bodies.
Lee (2024) Movie Ending Explained:
From the Horrors of the Concentration Camps to Hitler’s Bathtub
As Lee walks around in the concentration camp, she enters a room filled with women who were either abused or raped by men. In another room, there are bony bodies piled on top of each other, dead and rotting. Now Davey and Lee drive to Hitler’s house, but the guards don’t let them in. Lee bribes the guard with cigarettes and gets access. In the washroom, Lee strips naked and sits inside Hitler’s bathtub after wiping off the dirt from the concentration camp on Hitler’s expensive mat.
With Hitler’s picture on the tub, Lee asks Davey to take a picture. The massacre gets to Davey, and he breaks down. Lee didn’t know Hitler and Eva Braun were dead when she was in Hitler’s apartment. After that, Lee comes back home, submits her photographs, and succumbs to alcohol and smoking. In the latest issue of Vogue, they haven’t published Lee’s pictures.
Lee Miller’s Confrontation with Her Past and Reconciliation with Her Son
So Lee rushes to the office and starts cutting the photographic film. Seeing a vehement Lee, Audrey calms her down and says she has sent the pictures to American Vogue as Audrey could not convince the editors in Britain to publish them. On the stairs of British Vogue’s office, Lee reveals to Audrey that when she was young, her mother was unwell, so she was sent to stay with family friends. A stranger visited them and took Lee to the bedroom.
Unfortunately, Lee’s mother was so ashamed that she asked Lee never to share the story with anyone. This upsets Lee because these things happen constantly, but the perpetrators get away. The young man interviewing Lee is none other than her son Anthony, who is slightly mad at his mother for blaming him for everything that went wrong in her life. Now, Lee shows a box to Anthony where she has stored different milestones and memories relating to Anthony. When Anthony looks up, Lee is gone.
The Legacy of Lee Miller: A Life of War, Art, and Untold Stories
Lee Miller died in Farley House in 1977. Anthony never knew his mother’s work as a war correspondent and only found the images in the attic after Lee’s death. After Roland died in 1984, Anthony and his daughter dedicated their lives to uphold Lee’s legacy. David/ Davey continued to work for Life Magazine and became the longest-serving staff member. Audrey died in 2001. In 1946, Nusch died from a stroke, and Paul penned his last poems to Nusch.
“Lee” masterfully balances Lee Miller’s personal life with her groundbreaking career as a war photojournalist and correspondent. The film’s final scene reveals that the interview between Anthony and Lee was, in fact, a product of Anthony’s imagination, adding a reflective twist to the narrative. However, given the sensitivity of war photography, it would have been compelling to see the film explore more of Lee’s decision-making process and the ethical dilemmas she faced on the front lines. The inclusion of real wartime photographs at key moments brings the scenes to life, enhancing the emotional impact and authenticity of the story.
