Today Anna Smith talks to Director Tina Satter about her gripping debut feature, Reality. The story was originally a play directed by Satter in 2019, Is This a Room, and in this episode Anna talks to the director about the progression to cinema, both of the story and of her as a director, and what compelled her to make this her debut. Reality is based on the incredible true story of a young woman called Reality Winner, played by Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria, The White Lotus, Sharp Objects), who stirred up a media storm when she leaked a classified report about Russian interference in U.S. elections. The film uses transcripts of the real conversations Reality Winner had with government agents as its dialogue, creating a sense of both absolute honesty in the storytelling, as well as gripping tension.

Fellow film critic Linda Marric also joins Anna to give her insight into the film, and what makes it her “favourite film of 2023”. Anna and Linda discuss how Tina Satter's directorial choices inform the audience's experience of a true story on screen, and their thoughts on Sydney Sweeney’s central performance.

Reality - In UK & Irish cinemas 2nd June

Other films mentioned in this episode include: The Arbor, Clio Barnard, 2010The Assistant, Kitty Green, 2019

Television mentioned in this episode include::Sharp Objects, Jean-Marc Vallée, 2018Euphoria, 2019

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Host: Anna SmithExecutive Producer: Hedda ArchboldProducer: Lydia ScottAudio Producer: Emma ButtAssistant Producer: Eleanor Hardy

House band: MX Tyrants

This episode is in partnership with Vertigo Releasing.