Sydney Sweeney‘s latest project is a pretty big departure from her former roles as the dramatic Cassie in Euphoria and the whiny teenage Olivia in The White Lotus. The Emmy-nominated actress stars in Reality as Reality Winner, a real-life veteran who was interrogated after leaking classified information about Russian interference in the 2016 election. She was later sentenced to five years in prison.
Reality takes place over several hours when Winner was confronted and interrogated by government officials. Here’s everything we know about the drama.
Cast
The movie stars Sweeney alongside Marchant Davis and Josh Hamilton, who play FBI agents tasked with interrogating the veteran.
Plot
The story is inspired by real-life veteran Reality Winner (yes, that’s really her name) who leaked a report about Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. According to the official plot synopsis:
On June 3, 2017, 25-year-old Reality Winner returns from running errands to find two FBI agents at her home in Augusta, Georgia. An Air Force veteran and yoga instructor, Winner spends the next two hours being questioned about her work as an intelligence contractor – specifically, whether she leaked a classified document about Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections.
With all dialogue taken from the FBI transcript Reality tells the tense, mesmerizing story of what transpired inside Winner’s home that afternoon. As she navigates the federal agents’ questions, Winner is revealed to be a fairly typical 20-something: She treasures her pets, loves to travel, teaches CrossFit, shares selfies on social media.
Release Date
After debuting at the 2023 Berlin International Film Festival in February, Reality will hit HBO on May 29th and will be available to stream on MAX, HBO’s new streaming service.
Trailer
Here is the official trailer for Reality.