There’s no getting around Sydney Sweeney at the moment. The actress, known for Euphoria and The White Lotus, has one right now incredible run in the cinema. Just a few weeks ago she impressed in the cheeky and touching RomCom Where the Lie Falls. She will soon be diving into the Marvel cosmos in Madame Web.
Much smaller, but definitely no less worth seeing, is the indie production Reality, which premiered at the Berlinale last February. Now you can nerve-wracking true crime thriller finally watch it regularly in the cinema. 82 minutes await you that you won’t soon forget.
True crime thriller of a special kind: Sydney Sweeney leaks secret documents as an NSA employee
Thanks to Netflix and Co., the true crime market is absolutely oversaturated. Almost every week a film, a documentary or a series episode tells the story of you true crime, which will be revisited years later. But don’t worry: Reality isn’t your typical true crime fare. It’s the most exciting genre entry in ages.
You can watch the trailer for Reality here:
Reality – Trailer (German) HD
The story of the American linguist is told Reality Leigh Winner, which made headlines in 2017: The government representative with top secret clearance leaked a confidential report to the news website The Intercept. It was about Russian influence in the 2016 US election campaign.
When the FBI showed up at her doorstep with a search warrant on June 3, 2017, Winner said she was not a whistleblower. Lie or truth? Reality, the film, tortures us for almost an hour and a half and lets us be right there during the interrogation. Because the script is based on the FBI’s audio recordings.
The film debut of the playwright Tina Satter even superimposes the real recording over the recreated images in the first few minutes, when Winner (Sydney Sweeney) is surprised, almost surrounded, by Agent Garrick (Josh Hamilton) and Agent Taylor (Marchánt Davis). The FBI employees circle them like vultures around their victims in the desert.
Ingenious production: Reality turns the true crime rules on their head and impresses with Sydney Sweeney
What follows is an extremely exciting film 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 not maximally artificial? How real and fake can a production be?
Grand film
Sydney Sweeney in Reality
When the agents cross-examine Winner, it seems like we’re in a mix Horror film and psychological thriller condition. At the same time, the scene could come from a porno that tries extremely clumsily to embed its characters into a believable story. Sutter even makes use of the aesthetics that one associates with such a film.
Thanks to Paul Yee’s (Joy Ride, The Fits) moving camera, we follow Winner every step of the way. How pushy TMZ reporters, who somehow made it through the yellow and black tape. Vultures again, targeting the protagonist. The nervousness increases endlessly.
Despite all the cinematic, aesthetic thought that goes into Reality, it is by far the most fascinating thing Sweeney’s mesmerizing performance. A moment ago she seemed completely overwhelmed by the situation, but then you wonder whether there isn’t a mastermind inside her. Sweeney keeps us guessing until the last second as to what’s really going on here.
Reality has been running ever since February 8, 2024 in German cinemas.