Lee’s keen and distinctly feminine eye captures a side of the war rarely seen, although she is initially only put to use on the home front — the British armed forces can hardly send a woman into a combat zone, after all. Luckily for Lee, the Americans have no such qualms, and she is eventually deployed — alongside Andy Samberg’s David Scherman, a photojournalist for Life Magazine — into the heart of the war in Europe. She is initially met with resistance, but she worms her way into the action, managing to capture vital images from urban battles, the horrors of Dachau, and even the inner sanctum of Adolf Hitler’s own bathroom. However, whether British Vogue has the courage to publish Lee’s photos is another question altogether.
If the movie works at all, it’s on the strength of Kate Winslet’s scrappy, ornery lead performance. This kind of role is her bread and butter as an actress, and it’s clear why this is a historical figure she was so drawn to. Her interpretation of Lee is prickly but deeply empathetic, especially when it comes to women in vulnerable positions, something she witnesses on a fairly regular basis as the Allied forces liberate France. Keeping up with her every step of the way, surprisingly, is Samberg as her colleague and closest friend. He has a calm, quiet presence — steady where Lee is impulsive — and the two play off each other remarkably well. If nothing else, this should prove that Samberg is someone to watch in the burgeoning field of comedians-turned-dramatic actors.
