This biography of Lee Miller is attractively mounted and gives Kate Winslet an extraordinary main character to inhabit. It should do well in arthouse theatres.

Miller, an American, became a highly regarded international model in the early 1930s, but the film doesn’t spend much time on her eventful years in her 20s, which also included hanging with Bohemian all-stars in France and a respected standing as an artful photographer, before she joined the Army to become a war photojournalist.

Miller (a slightly make-up- aged Winslet) tells her own story to a curious interviewer who knows a lot about her, but is missing many key details. So, the narrative unfolds in a series of flashbacks. Here we learn that she had brass, sass, and could kick ass during World War II. In one memorable scene, she dares to take a hot bath in what was Hitler’s posh tub. In other scenes, she almost unflinchingly photographs the worst human horrors for the world to see, if she can get them published.

Joining Winslet is Andy Samberg, an astonishing bit of casting for the SNL alum only known for comedy until this performance. He plays it straight and rounds out a cast that isn’t seen often, but is impactful with each appearance. Perhaps Samberg took his cue from Winslet herself, who plays her character without any visible theatricality.

Although I was interested in the story and admired the performances, the two-hour biopic is a bit long and takes a while to build up enough emotional momentum for the payoffs, and there are more than one, to have a deeper impact than they do.

I knew nothing of Miller until this film, which Winslet spent years trying to get made. But I immediately went to the Wikipedia page for her (don’t do it until you’ve seen the film) to discover that writer/director Ellen Kuras, heretofore known as a top-shelf cinematographer, had reems of material she didn’t use. I’m glad I wasn’t looking out for more of the Wikipedia details in the movie, because it would have surely affected my mostly affectionate take on the film.

Lee is in theatres now | Rated R for nudity and war violence| About 2 hours.