Sydney Sweeney’s performance in “Reality” was raved about to no ends at this year’s Berlin Film Festival.
She received a lot of good ink from critics for her first big noteworthy movie role. “Reality” is 100% fresh on RT and has an 87 Metascore.
Sweeney has been waiting for a chewy movie role like this one for a few years now, but she can definitely forget about getting any sort of Oscar buzz. HBO Films has closed a deal for U.S. rights to “Reality.” Sweeney will have to settle for an Emmy.
There was always hope that “Euphoria” star Sweeney would eventually break through into film. That was supposed to happen with “Reality,” but now it’s turned into a TV movie. Much like in 2019 when Corey Finley’s excellent TIFF entry “Bad Education” was bought by HBO.
Directed by Tina Satter, from a screenplay by Satter and James Paul Davis, adapted from Satter's own stage play, “Reality” stars Sweeney as former American intelligence specialist Reality Winner (yes, that’s her actual name).
Winner was given the longest sentence by government for the unauthorized release of information to the media after she leaked data about Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.
Sweeney is a big name, purely with her connection to “Euphoria” alone, and, with the exception of her small role in “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood,” hasn’t had much luck with her film choices. Sweeney’s appeared in such Indie duds as “Nocturne,” “Tell Me Your Name,” “The Voyeurs,” “Clementine” and “Night Teeth.”