Well, we can't all be winners, but for the sake of her name, Reality has to be — that is, until she attempted to leak secret intelligence from the United States government. The true story of Reality Winner, the U.S. Air Force member who leaked information regarding Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, rocked American news in 2017. And now it looks like we will be getting a new look into the woman behind the story. And yesterday we got our first peak into the upcoming film, aptly titled Reality, which tells the story of the unlikely leaker.
Euphoria standout Sydney Sweeney will lead the new film as Reality Winner, a former enlisted member of the United States Air Force, as she is grilled by the FBI over some leaked information regarding the 2016 election. The film is based on a transcript of Winner's FBI interrogation, which was previously adapted to the stage in the play Is This a Room, which debuted on Broadway in 2021. The upcoming film is directed by Tina Satter, who also co-wrote the screenplay with James Paul Dallas.
The new trailer shows Sweeney in the role of Reality Winner being put through the scrutiny of a federal investigation. The trailer shows her home items being photographed, combed through, and Reality herself standing, somewhat casually, against monumental charges. In one sequence, they ask her if her weight is 125 pounds, which she demurs, saying that they are being too generous in their assessment. This attempt at coyness is countered with their assertion that the weight stated was listed on her driver's license. "Well, I lied," Winner says, laughing stiffly. The interaction, stiff and awkward, plays at the core of Reality's almost too casual and ordinary persona.
It Looks Like a Winner
Collider previously covered a trailer for the upcoming film, which gave us our first look into the project. The film originally premiered at the 2023 Berlin International Film Festival. The project has been met with generally positive reviews, an Collider's Marco Vito Oddo noted that the film presents Sweeney's best performance to date.
You can stream Reality on Max on May 29. Check out the trailer below: