Sydney Sweeney stars as NSA whistleblower Reality Leigh Winner in this searing HBO drama from playwright and director Tina Satter. A recording device captures the events that unfold over a few fateful hours on one day in June 2017, creating the transcript that Satter based the film on, as well as her 2019 play titled “Is This A Room: Reality Winner Verbatim Transcription”
June 3rd 2017 sets the scene for “Reality” as Winner (Sydney Sweeney) must face the consequences of her leaking classified NSA documents about Russia’s interference with the 2016 U.S. election to the media. Winner returns home from a grocery run to find herself faced with two FBI agents (Josh Hamilton & Marchánt Davis) and a warrant for them to search her house, car, and person. As the truth about Winner’s involvement in the leak comes to light, her denial quickly turns to a confession, and she realises her life will be forever changed.
Sydney Sweeney delivers a captivating performance across the 82-minute runtime. The “Euphoria” star’s portrayal radiates authenticity and allows the 25-year-old actress to deliver one of her best performances to date. Sweeney’s bold turn is accompanied by convincing and intimidating performances from Josh Hamilton ("Eighth Grade") and Marchánt Davis ("The Day Shall Come"). The pair bounce off Sweeney’s performance and bring the exhilarating tension to new extremes, allowing audiences to invest in the events onscreen. These three performances allow “Reality” to become a realistic and immersive retelling of the events leading up to Winner’s arrest. The sense of realism brought on by these stellar performances is emphasised by the screenplay, written by Satter and James Paul Dallas, that features direct quotes from the FBI transcripts of Winner’s interrogation and arrest.
Perhaps one of the most impressive parts of the film is Satter managing to make a film, whose entire story takes place in one house, that is entertaining and able to hold the attention of the audience without feeling lifeless or uninteresting. Although, that doesn’t mean “Reality” escapes being a film where it feels like you have to pay attention to every line lest you miss something important to the narrative. While the use of genuine transcripts does help with the authenticity and believability of the film, it also allows for some unconventional editing choices, especially when it comes to redacted portions of the transcripts. While it may be a jarring editing choice to physically take characters out of the scene like some sort of glitch, it does allow the film to stay as truthful to the source material as possible. Satter’s directorial effort asserts herself as someone who is able to hold her own in the director’s chair and draw engaging performances out of actors.
“Reality” immerses its audience in nail-biting tension throughout the whole 82-minute runtime, keeping them on the edge of their seats as the interrogation unfolds onscreen. Sydney Sweeney delivers a stellar performance, and perhaps one of her best so far, as she brings Winner’s story to the big screen. Tina Satter does a stellar job adapting the story of Reality Winner, and the result is a neat yet intense drama that feels both interesting and informative.