“I think ‘naive’ as a word to describe me feels a lot better than ‘idiot’ but both equally apply.” Former military veteran Reality Winner says this early on in Sonia Kennebeck’s titular documentary. Convicted under the Espionage Act for releasing an NSA-protected document showing Russian interference in the 2016 election, Kennebeck captures Winner and her family during her trial, imprisonment, and subsequent release as she comes to terms with her past while dealing with betrayal in her present.
In June 2017, Winner was approached in her home by a seemingly friendly group of FBI agents asking to search the house. A recording of their encounter plays throughout the 90-minute runtime. What started as a friendly interaction quickly escalated into something more sinister as both agents corner her with the information that she printed out a single document indicating that Russia tried to hack election devices in 2016, something that the current government and intelligence community previously denied publicly. Because she believed she told the truth and didn’t give out particular details, she believed she would not be charged with a crime.
As events evolved, the focus shifted from the information she leaked to the fact she leaked it. Kennebeck’s thesis relies heavily on two vital pieces of information. The first is that the Espionage Act is written with no allowed justifications, so either you leaked or you didn’t. She also delves heavily on how the news outlet where Winner sent the document to, failed to protect their source from litigation and government investigation.
Winner brings an honest and humorous melancholy to her story, which ironically was used against her in her trial. A series of glib and very millennial Facebook messages she sent her sister, where she explicitly expressed her hatred of then-President Donald Trump, were used to deny her bail at her pre-trial hearing. As Kennebeck lays out the government’s case against her, the director threads a damning needle against the systems that condemned her.
Kennebeck relies on talking head interviews with Winner, her parents Billy and Gary, and her sister Brittany to give a full perspective on her case. Providing further outside context are other famous whistleblowers like Edward Snowden, Thomas Blake, and John Kiriakou. Unlike Winner, Snowden and Blake never served time for their leaks, the former escaping to Russia and the latter having his charges dropped. Kiriakou only served 28 ½ months in prison as opposed to Winner’s sentence of 63 months, the longest to date for the unauthorized release of government information to the media. Kennebeck’s smart inclusion of these white men and The Intercept’s editorial staff only drives her point home more that Winner didn’t receive justice. She was made an example of.
Kennebeck struggles with the placement of expository yet vital information pertaining to Winner’s life. Her relationships with both her father and stepfather are explored towards the film’s end. This feels thrown in and could’ve provided better context earlier on in the film’s narrative.
Earlier in 2023, HBO released a fictional account of Winner’s interrogation called Reality starring Euphoria breakout Sydney Sweeney. Cat Person director Susanna Fogel is reteaming with Emilia Jones on another retelling of the story. Plays, comedy segments, and NPR think pieces have all been created about the former soldier. However, Kennebeck’s Reality Winner is able to capture the full circumstances of her subject’s life in a way the others can’t.
Reality Winner premiered two years ago at the 2021 South By Southwest Film Festival, under the title United States vs. Reality Winner. In that time between its first festival showing and its release now, Kennebeck gives the film and her subject a new ending. With Trump under indictment for violating the same laws as the young woman he condemned, the film concludes with a feeling of “I told you so” that slaps you in the face and leaves you with a sense of tragic triumph.
Reality Winner is currently playing in theaters. A VOD release is scheduled for Oct. 31.
