Reality
MAX
Tina Satter’s Reality could not have come at a better time for actress Sydney Sweeney, who has gained enormous cultural success with the likes of controversial HBO headliner Euphoria while her other credentials have mainly stayed within the television realm in White Lotus and Sharp Objects. Granted, while the television circuit gains more eyes and traction, the cinematic territory is the more lucrative world in terms of financial and performance. Having starred in under-seen and modest entries such as Nighteeth and Voyeurs, Sweeney has yet to find true success in making that giant leap into film. Reality is that perfect combination of being centric to showcase Sweeney’s talents while also remaining a strong independent piece of work that has something important to say.
Based on the true story of Reality Winner (no, not that type, but a real person), who became a whistleblower in 2018 after handling classified documents about Russian interference into the 2016 presidential campaign, Reality is cinematically framed with the authentic and real unclassified transcript of her on-site investigation and ultimate arrest on said charges at her home. What makes Reality ever so immersive and atmospheric is the utilising of said transcript and almost real time framing to install an incredible amount of terror and anxiety upon the audience. Very much akin to Reality Winner’s experience herself, starting the narrative with so little information is effective in immersion and atmosphere of the unknown, it both cripples and effects both audience and character in a symbiotic relationship that heightens the material at hand. The audience become intertwined into this story with its twist and turns to a degree of greater emotional significance and thus devastation. Granted, it could be argued that Reality does reveal small tangents of her decisions but, more interestingly, Satter frames such moments – consciously or not – of being fed to her by the arresting officers stating motives and emotional impulses, not necessarily from her own independent thought. Once again, the added subtext of Reality directed from a female perspective by Tina Satter elevates this material once more with rich subtext and engaging layers.
Satter employs a an interesting framing device in this venture, which is both hit and miss. In terms of hit: the level of anxiety and tension crafted is quite compelling and knowing it’s based on the real transcript offers quite unnerving levels of uneasy immersion. The issue then arises when Satter wants to cut away digitally to the conversations being recorded on screen, which sadly fails to elevate the material and directly causes the engagement and atmosphere to drop back before gaining its momentum once again. This happens around three to four times, and each attempt drastically affects both flow and connection. Furthermore, Satter employs a digital effect to illustrate both the mental fragility of Reality Winner and the world swallowing her up when the anxiety reaches fever pitch; on paper, it elevates the material, but the execution on screen falls both flat and somewhat silly. This choice of aesthetic and digital intrusion feels an addition of cinematic flair which is unneeded to the already engaging flow and immersion of the story.
That being said, what is undoubtedly a strong and effective sort of production is that of Sweeney, who has chosen well here in terms of a character centric piece and the availability to showcase more depth and talent on offer. She undeniably succeeds here in those terms, albeit Reality could be said to be a safe venture in the sense that much of the emotional stance here isn’t all the different from the emotional weight showcased in Euphoria. Alas, it is a terrific showing of what Sweeney can accomplish and in that ever so wonderful and effective emotive talent she possesses. In a tight and fat ridden 83-minutes, Sweeney doesn’t have many opportunities to nail this emotive core the film rests its weight on, but she utterly nails said moments when they arise. Knowing said production was shot chronologically and seeing the slow but assured mental fragility dissipate and evaporate on screen, only goes to reinforce what talent Sweeney has and will have for the future, but good decisions and choices on projects from Sweeney will be needed from this moment forward.
