Reality

Play trailer

2:08

Reality

2023

1h 23m

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

105 Reviews

66%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

On a Saturday afternoon, in June 2017, Reality Winner, a 25-year-old in cut-off jeans, is confronted at her Georgia home by the FBI. A cryptic conversation begins and Reality's life quickly begins to unravel.

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Critics Consensus

Reality's narrow scope and gripping fact-based story add up to a riveting showcase for Sydney Sweeney in the title role.

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Christina Newland

iNews.co.uk

09/18/2024

4/5

Sweeney's complex tricky performance – mixed with the emotional stakes – makes this intriguing drama completely absorbing.

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David Stratton

The Australian

07/03/2023

4/5

It’s a troubling, unsettling and beautifully made production, all the more notable for being a debut feature that rigidly adheres to the actual recording that the FBI men made on the day that a brave young woman lost her freedom.

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Sandra Hall

Sydney Morning Herald

06/29/2023

4/5

Reality is a bizarre blend of the gripping and the banal -- a film in which politeness is used as a weapon and guile is disguised as embarrassment.

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Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

Feb 1

6/10

A drama that, to some extent, benefits from Sydney Sweeney's understated performance as the whistleblower, but whose narrative, unfortunately, loses its consistent tone with each skewed question in its ethical discourse. [Full review in Spanish]

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Samantha Schuster

Cinéfilo Serial

Jul 25

3.5/5

It takes a true story and presents it in an original and creative way, preserving a documentary tone. Thanks to strong performances and a meticulously crafted script, it manages to explore American political maneuvering. [Full Review in Spanish]

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Marta Medina Pérez

mundoCine

Jul 22

3/5

[Reality] is Sweeney's tour de force. [Full Review in Spanish]

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Torben E

@Torben 6d

Sydney Sweeney is such a talented actress and it was amazing seeing her transforming into the real character of Reality Winner for this movie. The movie itself is short, smart, fear-provoking and an eye-opener. It's more like a documentary of certain events that really happened. Especially in our today's world this movie should be included in the teaching material of schools and universities. As I said...it's a reality check (no pun intended). Don't expect a typical Hollywood movie or some sort of spy drama. You'll find great acting in this movie, authentic characters and dialogues and you will witness a slowly unfolding secret...in a documentary style.

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Greg K.

@gkinlan91 Mar 18

So boring! I cannot believe this has a 93% critic review rating. One of the worst movies I have seen this year. And it could have been solid if they added even a modicum of drama

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Marco L

@decatur555 Mar 3

Reality unfolds almost like a stage play, confined to a single space and driven by dialogue drawn directly from real FBI transcripts. That decision gives the film a stark, unsettling weight. Everything sounds dry and bureaucratic, and that banality becomes the source of its tension. There are no dramatic twists or emotional cues — the unease grows from what is said and, especially, what is left unsaid. Sydney Sweeney delivers a restrained yet powerful performance, capturing both fragility and quiet resilience under mounting pressure. The minimalist, almost clinical staging may feel too austere for some viewers, but that simplicity is precisely what makes it so effective. It’s not a comfortable watch, but it’s absorbing and difficult to forget.

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Aaron H

@Hodgie Jan 6

Probably the most boring and pointless movie I’ve ever wasted time on in my life.

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Jose Juarez J

@driver85661311 Dec 22

Sidney Sweeneys performance is why she stared in so many movies in 2025

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Nuveau S.

@NuveauSapiens Dec 16

This is a taut drama featuring a riveting, nuanced performance by Sidney Sweeney in a unique and efficient format. A well-crafted film built from finely-tuned source material.

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Tina Satter

Director

Sydney Sweeney

Reality Winner

Josh Hamilton

Garrick

Marchánt Davis

Taylor

John Way

FBI Agent

Benny Elledge

Joe

Tòkunbò

%

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Tòkunbò

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Reality: Featurette - Recreating Reality

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Reality: Teaser

0:50

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Synopsis

On a Saturday afternoon, in June 2017, Reality Winner, a 25-year-old in cut-off jeans, is confronted at her Georgia home by the FBI. A cryptic conversation begins and Reality's life quickly begins to unravel.

Director: Tina Satter
Producer: Brad Becker-Parton, Riva Marker, Greg Nobile, Noah Stahl
Screenwriter: James Paul Dallas, Tina Satter
Distributor: HBO
Production Co: Seaview Productions, 2 Sq Ft, Cinereach, Tanbark Pictures, In the Cut Productions, Fit Via Vi Film Productions, Burn These Words
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): May 29, 2023
Runtime: 1h 23m

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