Tina Satter co-writes and directs this based-on-a-true story drama about Reality Winner (Sydney Sweeney), a former American intelligence worker who leaked information about Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and was given the longest sentence for releasing government documents in history. Based on a play by Satter that was in turn based on the recorded interrogation of Winner by FBI Agents Garrick (Josh Hamilton) and Taylor (Marchánt Davis), the screenplay was co-written by James Paul Dallas. (83 min.)
Glen: This is yet another maddening story about a miscarriage of justice concerning a whistleblower who should be lauded as a hero rather than imprisoned. Yes, what Winner did was illegal, but she revealed information the American public should have been made aware of, and hence she did us a service by proving that Russia did indeed meddle in a presidential election. It’s a very quiet film. After Winner watches Fox News coverage in her office of Trump firing James Comey, we jump ahead 25 days to her returning home from the grocery story to find FBI Agents with a search warrant waiting for her. The story unfolds as they question her, and it’s a bit of a cat-and-mouse game as they slowly get her to reveal the truth. All the performances are measured, but it’s a gripping, albeit quiet, story.
Anna: The FBI agents are there to figure Winner out and to see if what they know she leaked is part of a bigger scheme. Reality isn’t a mastermind, instead she’s just frustrated and overwhelmed by what she has learned at her workplace and the secrecy around the interference. She’s a translator, skilled in three languages other than English, and a valuable asset. However, her worth is quickly dismissed and thrown away by the American government, and she’s branded a traitor. It’s infuriating to watch unfold. Sweeney is reserved and overwhelmed as Winner, concerned at first with her wilting produce and the fact that the FBI agents can’t seem to keep the door closed so her cat won’t escape. Like you said, this is a pretty quiet piece, and it makes sense to me that it was a play first. It may be quiet, but it’s also completely compelling, and the filmmakers have some pretty interesting methods of weaving in audio from Winner’s actual interrogation as well as blipping out redacted content.
Glen: Considering this is Satter’s first film, it’s impressive. The tension is palpable, made more so by Sweeney’s reserved performance. It almost all takes place in Winner’s home in an empty, unused bedroom, and you’re right: She’s hardly a mastermind, and she certainly didn’t have a sinister agenda. I was also impressed with Hamilton as Agent Garrick—all fixed smile and geniality but also menacing. They tell her that her cooperation is completely voluntary, but it’s clear she has no real agency in the exchange. What’s really confounding is after spending four years in prison and being under continued supervision until 2024, the very documents she leaked were later made public.
Anna: That room definitely lends to the eerie vibe of the interrogation. There’s no furniture, Reality’s dog is heard barking from his kennel in the backyard, Agent Garrick is surface-level friendly but sinister right underneath, and Joe (Benny Elledge) has a bad habit of bursting through doors unannounced. I found the way that this film was shot and the general mood it conveyed to be very compelling, helped most by Sweeney’s quiet but panicked performance. The film starts with Winner pulling up to her house and the first scene is dubbed over by actual audio of Reality Winner on the day her world started crumbling, a very effective choice by the filmmaker. What a tragedy it is that instead of the government putting Winner’s linguistic skills to good use, they instead imprisoned her for their secrecy. It’s absolutely maddening.
New Times Senior Staff Writer Glen Starkey and freelancer Anna Starkey write Sun Screen. Glen compiles listings. Comment at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Jun 8-18, 2023.
