One of the highlights of Berlinale this year was Reality, which expanded Syndey Sweeney’s talents in her finest performance yet. Directed by Tina Satter from her own acclaimed play Is This a Room, the drama captures the story of U.S. Air Force member-turned-NSA translator named Reality Winner leaked a document to The Intercept exposing Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Taking the unique conceit of performing the actual transcript of her arrest down to the small details, the film will land on Max later this month, and now the first trailer has arrived.
Rory O’Connor said in his review, “Satter’s film is also remarkable for the economy with which it sows those ideas (I’d love to hear what Steven Soderbergh would say about it). Reality doesn’t have a script in any conventional sense. There is no space for preaching, only the words spoken or not spoken on that day and at that time. Aside from small, dialogue-free flashbacks and a late flurry of news footage, Satter’s film never leaves Winner’s house and garden––most of it takes place in a single room. The actors pause when those being recorded paused. Verbatim, they repeat their “hmms” and “ahs.” People say things like “late May, early April” instead of the other way around. Satter often cuts (perhaps a bit too often) to the transcript itself to remind us. The actors essentially talk in the awkward ways that people do in real life.”
See the trailer below.
Reality opens on May 29.