Reality is a 2023 drama film directed by Tina Satter, starring Sydney Sweeney, Josh Hamilton, and Marchant Davis. It is directly adapted from the transcripts of the FBI's interrogation of American intelligence officer and translator Reality Winner (Sweeney), who leaked a classified document pointing towards Russian interference in the 2016 US elections. Satter had previously adapted the event as a play, Is This A Room.
Reality Winner, an Air Force vet, fitness instructor, and contract linguist, is approached by two FBI agents outside her home, who claim to have a search warrant for her house. Though both parties play coy about the reason for the visit, it later becomes clear that Reality leaked a confidential document, and the encounter turns tense.
The film debuted at Berlinale 2023 prior to a release in the United States by HBO.
Tropes:
- Cunning Linguist: Invoked. Reality is fluent in Farsi, Dari, and Pashto in addition to English, since she aims to become a translator in Afghanistan. After her involvement in the leaks come to light, this multilingualism is used as "evidence" of her being a Middle East sympathizer.
- Double-Meaning Title: The film's title, Reality, is both its heroine's name and a statement on the dire political circumstances and the consequences of her actions.
- The Film of the Play: A film adaptation of the
director's play, Is This A Room. - Minimalist Cast: Besides a couple of bit roles, the only characters in the film are Reality and the two FBI agents interrogating her, Justin Garrick and Wallace Taylor, and most of the film takes place in the former's house.
- Painting the Medium: As if reminding the audience that we're watching a transcript, the film will occasionally show a tape rewinding, or the transcript being typed. The characters and audio also glitch out when the script reaches parts of the transcript that were redacted.
- Shout-Out: Reality is a Pokémon and Sanrio fan, and we see merchandise and fanart pertaining to the franchises among her belongings.
- Troubled Fetal Position: As Reality contends with the fact that the FBI knows what she did, she sinks to the floor and brings her knees to her chest, obviously in tears.
- "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: A textual epilogue tells the audience that Winner was imprisoned for four years, and that the document she leaked was later used as evidence of Russian interference in the Senate.
