Did movie culture need another movie about whistleblower Reality Winner after last year’s “Reality“? Apparently, yes: Tina Satter‘s film, adapting her play “Is This A Room,” did well at the 2023 Berlinale and when it premiered on HBO last May. But formally speaking, it’s a tricky film, sticking verbatim to the released interrogation transcripts taken from the day of Winner’s June 3, 2017 arrest.
There’s no reason to fault “Reality” for sticking so closer to, well, reality, but Susanna Fogel‘s “Winner” opts for a more fictitious approach. The new dark comedy, hitting theaters this Fall after its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, tells Reality Winner’s story in a more dramatic light. In essence, the story remains the same, but depicted in a different style, and Emilia Jones starring as Winner this time instead of Sydney Sweeney.
Here’s an official synopsis for “Winner,” courtesy of Vertical:
Based on a true story, Reality Winner is a brilliant young misfit from a Texas border town who loves her pink gun almost as much as helping others. After teaching herself Arabic in high school so she can be of service in the Middle East, Reality is recruited by the Air Force but quickly becomes disillusioned when she finds her morals challenged. After transitioning to a money gig as an NSA contractor, Reality stumbles upon government secrets regarding Russia’s election hacking during the 2016 Presidential campaign. Does she expose the truth or keep quiet? Ultimately, she decides to leak the truth leading to her trial and historic sentencing for espionage.
Along with Jones, “Winner” also stars Connie Britton, Danny Ramirez, Kathryn Newton, and Zach Galifianakis.
“Winner” is Fogel’s first film since last year’s “Cat Person.” She also co-writes the movie’s screenplay with “Bottoms Up And The Devil Laughs” writer Kerry Howley. A sound choice there, as Howley’s recent book explores Winner’s story in the broader context of the national security state’s erosion of personal privacy. Howley also interviewed Winner for New York Magazine in 2020.
“Winner” hits select theaters and On Demand on September 13. Watch the trailer below (and read The Playlist’s review of the film at Sundance here; we didn’t love it).