After the romcom Where the Lie Falls, the next film starring Sydney Sweeney is already starting. Reality is a real insider tip if you’ve had enough of the true crime series on Netflix
There’s no getting around Sydney Sweeney at the moment. The actress known from Euphoria and The White Lotus is currently having an incredible run in the movies. Just a few weeks ago, she wowed audiences in the cheeky and touching romcom Where the Lie Falls. She will soon be diving into the Marvel cosmos in Madame Web.
Significantly smaller, but certainly no less worth seeing, is the indie production Reality, which celebrated its premiere at the Berlinale last February. Now you can finally watch the nerve-wracking true-crime thriller in theaters. You can expect 82 minutes that you won’t soon forget
True crime thriller with a difference: Sydney Sweeney leaks secret documents as an NSA employee
Thanks to Netflix and the like, the true crime market is absolutely saturated. Almost every week, a movie, documentary or series episode tells the story of a true crime that is revisited years later. But don’t worry: reality is not your typical true crime fare. It’s the most exciting genre entry in ages
Here you can watch the trailer for Reality:
Told is the story of US linguist Reality Leigh Winner, who made headlines in 2017: The government agent with top secret clearance leaked a confidential report to the news website The Intercept. It was about Russian interference in the 2016 US election campaign.
When the FBI arrived at her front door with a search warrant on June 3, 2017, Winner stated that she was not a whistleblower. Lie or truth? Reality, the movie, keeps us on tenterhooks for almost an hour and a half and lets us sit in on the interrogation. The screenplay is based on the FBI’s audio recordings.
In the first few minutes, playwright Tina Satter’s cinema debut even superimposes the real recording over the re-enacted images, when Winner (Sydney Sweeney) is surprised and virtually surrounded by Agent Garrick (Josh Hamilton) and Agent Taylor (Marchánt Davis). The FBI agents circle them like vultures circling their victims in the desert.
Genius production: Reality turns the rules of true crime on their head and thrills with Sydney Sweeney
What follows is an extremely exciting movie that captivates not only with its story and the question of whether Winner is guilty. Satter combines different genres and plays with our perception. Is everything we see here authentic? Or is it artificial to the maximum? How real and fake can a production be?
(Sydney Sweeney in Reality)
When the agents cross-examine Winner, we get the impression that we are in a mixture of horror movie and psychological thriller. At the same time, the scene could have been taken from a porn movie that makes an extremely clumsy attempt to embed its characters in a credible story. Sutter even makes use of the aesthetics associated with such a movie.
Thanks to the moving camera of Paul Yee (Joy Ride, The Fits), we follow Winner wherever he goes. Like intrusive TMZ reporters who have somehow made it through the yellow and black tape. Vultures after the protagonist again. The nervousness builds without end.
Another movie tip: Beloved Cook with Juliette Binoche & Benoît Magimel
Despite all the cinematic, aesthetic ideas that go into Reality, the most fascinating thing by far is Sweeney’s mesmerizing performance. A moment ago, she seemed completely overwhelmed by the situation, but now you wonder if there isn’t a mastermind inside her. Sweeney keeps us guessing until the very last second as to what is really going on here
