Rating A | Reality：Everyone is only concerned about their own "reality"

I watched this movie as soon as it was released on HBO Max on May 31st due to my love for Sydney Sweeney.

Based on true events, “’Reality" tells the story of a young American intelligence officer named Reality (played by Sydney Sweeney), who leaked classified information about Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election to the media and was subsequently investigated and convicted. The film premiered at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival.

I was pleasantly surprised to see Sydney Sweeney, who is often labeled as a "hot chick" or "heartthrob," nail a lead role in a movie like this. She truly knocks it out of the park with her performance. I would recommend Reality to fans of hers or to anyone who appreciates high-level acting. At first, I thought this movie would be similar to her previous film The Voyeurs, which focused on her sex appeal. However, after watching Reality, I found that she also has outstanding acting skills.

Overall, I was impressed with the film's direction by Tina Satter, who effectively portrays Reality's struggle as a whistleblower and her subsequent trial. The film offers a unique perspective on the issue of government transparency and the consequences that come with exposing classified information.

Let's analyze this movie carefully

The underlying theme of the film does not come clear until the protanonist, Reality, is officially arrested in the movie, before which the plot is focused on dramatic tension between her and two FBI agents, highlighting the oppressive emotional and power dynamics. It is very immersive, but without any clear foreshadowing. It isn't until the end, when the media and official spokespersons demonize her image, that the message becomes apparent.

How do viewers perceive Reality's character in the movie?

She is depicted as an ordinary and gentle person who remains polite and kind even when confronted by FBI agents. She never displays aggression except for emotional breakdowns in delusional fantasies.

She is very caring towards animals. The dog she adopted was abandoned by someone else, and throughout the movie, her main concern is not her own safety, but that of her two pets.

She has many hobbies that are typical of a young girl - her home is decorated with cute little items, and even her self-defense rifle is custom-painted in pink.

Despite her small stature, she is not weak. During a conversation with agents, she mentioned weightlifting and competing in contests. In addition, she owns a handgun, rifle, and shotgun for home defense.

How does the media describe her in the end?

According to NBC, Reality is a two-faced person who presents herself as a retired military officer, obedient girl, and yoga teacher, but is actually passionate about the Middle East. However, it's important to note that Reality had previously stated multiple times that she was doing this out of love for her country.

According to CBS, she claims to hate America and even calls it the worst country in the world. CBS asserts that's exactly her words during the interrogation, which apparently is not the case.

According to FOX, Reality is described as an obvious political radical.

Looking back on Reality's explanation of her motive for leaking on the middle of the film, it becomes clear that she is simply a kind-hearted person. In her daily struggles with political depression, she made the choice to sacrifice herself and be what she thought was a "patriot".

However, the truth about who Reality really is ignored. The fact is that people tend to believe only what they want to believe.

In the film, real audio recordings, social media photos, and videos clips of the prototype of the role of Reality are frequently edited in to emphasize "reality." However, every time certain critical, unmentionable words are mentioned, Reality, who looks alive and present moments earlier, suddenly disappears from view. Like the existence of the chamber, this creates a surreal and jarring effect, which adds to the overall sense of Surrealism in the film.

What on earth is the reality? The US government claims to be transparent and open, which allowed the adaptation of this film from actual interrogation records. However, whenever sensitive information is involved, it is carefully concealed, undermining the supposed transparency. This behavior reflects the government's hypocrisy and darkness, and is also the main source of Reality's depression.

Moreover, Reality is not just a patriot, but one capable of making a difference. It is inevitable that long stay in a small space, with news playing 24/7 and her own anger building up while not daring to reveal the truth she holds, would eventually break her. As Reality herself said after pleading guilty, our information is leaked every day, so why shouldn't she make public something that is crucial for the entire nation to know?

So, she ends up doing it without any sophisticated schemes. As noted by the two FBI agents, she doesn't really look like a well-trained spy, and this incident could be considered an "accident".

However, there is an unexpected heartwarming detail at the end. Reality reveals that the agents are all very concerned about her pets when searching the house, as they are all dog lovers. This means that despite different political views and values, people can still share something in common and are willing to put aside their stakes to protect them. At the beginning of the film, I wonder if the agents are just trying to find clues from her during their small talk,because some topics seem unnecessary for the context, and they have already gathered enough evidence. However, it now seems that they are simply trying to empathize with her.

In conclusion, with simple and realistic acting, cinematography, music, and editing, the film recreates a particular event and character. Its purpose is to reveal the truth to the audience, but there is no absolute truth just as there is no absolute objectivity. Every person's perspective is necessarily subjective. Therefore, it is important to reflect on how often we are swayed by our emotions and fall into the darkness of humanity in this increasingly insane world. If everyone could be more rational and tolerant, our world would not have regressed so dramatically, and there would be fewer conflicts and even wars.