Reality is a brilliant piece of filmmaking that attaches a visual to the legitimate dialogue from a riveting FBI investigation. Sydney Sweeney delivers a career best performance as Reality Winner, complementing the erratic behavior of the two lead FBI agents: Agent Garrick (Josh Hamilton) and Agent Taylor (Marchánt Davis). As the dialogue becomes repetitious, the film gains unreasonable suspense as you wait for the true meat of the story to come to light. 

 

Josh Hamilton dissolves into the role of Agent Garrick, delivering a mesmerizing performance here that combats his wonderful turn in 2018s Eighth Grade. While not as familiar with Marchánt Davis, his role as Agent Taylor similarly brings a desire to see more of them in the near future. Standing across from the pair, Sweeney excels in her depiction of Reality Winner, providing more proof that her talent is one to watch evolve in the years to come.

 

Reality is captured in close quarters, generating an intimate interrogation between the trio. As details expand and more is revealed, the energy in the claustrophobic room heightens to a looming sense of frustration. As more is explored, the investigation starts to unravel quickly. Reality’s innovative usage of written documentation and the creative ways to visually represent classified information, along with the glimpses of the actual Reality offers more to digest within this triumphant directorial debut by Tina Satter. Reality is easily one of the best dramatic pieces of 2023 and an immediate reason to subscribe to MAX.