Reality Trailer: Sydney Sweeney Is In Trouble As NSA Whistleblower Reality Winner
HBO has released the trailer for an upcoming original film that is almost certain to be in the awards season conversation come time for that (but let's not get ahead of ourselves). "Reality" was acquired by the premium cable network following its premiere at the Berlin Film Festival, where it was met with a rave response. Now, it's set to arrive this summer on the newly-named Max streaming service, which will replace HBO Max. In it, Sydney Sweeney plays real-life person Reality Winner who was convicted of leaking confidential information about Russian election interference.
To set some expectations here, this is very much a teaser that adds some intrigue and is intended to get the film on one's radar. It doesn't delve too much into the story, but it feels tense and raises the ol' eyebrow. Let's have a look, shall we?
Sydney Sweeney stars in HBO's Reality trailer
The footage focuses very prominently on Sweeney's face, looking like a ghost, sort of like her life is over. In many ways (not to spoil it) it probably is. We see men with badges going through her things, taking pictures, and bagging up items. It's clear someone believes a crime was committed, and it's probably every otherwise upstanding citizen's worst nightmare. To provide a bit more context, here is the synopsis for the film that was provided by the Berlin Film Festival ahead of its premiere:
The social media profile of a young woman includes pictures of her pets, her friends, and her exercise routine. But on June 2, 2017, the posts come to an end. This film begins on the following day and contains verbatim dialogue from the unedited transcript of an FBI audio recording. The audience witnesses the protagonist – played by Sydney Sweeney – arriving at her home in Georgia, only to be met by two men outside who politely inform her that they have a search warrant. What follows is a chamber piece focusing on the interrogation of whistle-blower Reality Winner and the search of her home.
The minimal cast also includes Josh Hamilton as Agent Garrick and Marchánt Davis as Agent Taylor. Tina Satter is in the director's chair, making her feature directorial debut. Meanwhile, Sweeney is becoming a real mainstay at HBO between this film as well as her roles on "Euphoria" and "The White Lotus." Plus, she's starring in Sony's "Madame Web" movie next year. Sweeney is undoubtedly having one heck of a moment.
"Reality" premieres May 29 on Max.