Tag Archives: Reality Leigh Winner

‘WINNER’ (2024) A sharp biopic of America’s rebel sweetheart.

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Winner poster

Filmmaker Susanna Fogel (CAT PERSON) tells the true story of NSA contractor Reality Winner discovering the classified document that Russia interfered with in the 2016 election and then leaked it to the press. WINNER is a black comedy biopic in a league of its own. The whistleblower story we’ve been waiting for.

The military exploited Reality’s extraordinary language abilities, critical thinking skills, and sheer humanity for more violent means. The argument about whether the end justifies the means remains open-ended. It depends on your overall opinion of the military-industrial complex. The guilt from her job translates to excessive workouts and do-gooder activities that no one else wants. Truthfully, Reality was thinking about the country when she broke protocol and then punished by the one person it affected most. It’s pretty gross, if not entirely expected.

Winner-Day15-031Zach Galifianakis is Reality’s activist-minded father, Ron. He plays a proud papa with a brilliant mind and passion for justice. The apple did not fall far. Galifianakis brings the sass in all the right ways. Connie Britton is Mom Billie Winner-Davis, someone I greatly admire. I followed her on social media once the story broke, urging others to retweet and signing petitions for the Biden administration to pardon Reality. Britton delivers a pitch-perfect performance as a Texas mother with the typical priorities before Reality’s arrest.

Emilia Jones expertly shows us what a phenom Reality is, doing justice to her activist heart and take-no-shit attitude. Jones nails each beat with heart and humor. Making grown men cry in her breakout role in CODA, she once again owns the screen.

WINNER_Vertical (1)It’s an entire hour before we even touch on the infamous Russia document. The front end of the film gives us foundational reasons to root for Winner. Fogel skillfully injects humor into a story that appears authentically absurd from any sane outsider’s perspective. Jones’ narration sets the tone for the entire film. If you know Reality’s story, you understand what an indisputable hero she is. How this story got buried as quickly as it did will never cease to baffle me.
WINNER is wildly entertaining.

WINNER Trailer:

In Select Theaters and On Demand September 13, 2024

 

DIRECTED BY:  Susanna Fogel

WRITTEN BY:  Kerry Howley and Susanna Fogel

STARRING:  Emilia Jones, Connie Britton, Danny Ramirez, Kathryn Newton, and Zach Galifianakis

RUN TIME:  103 minutes

RATING:  Not Rated

GENRE:  Comedy, Biography

SYNOPSIS:  Based on a true story, Reality Winner (Emilia Jones) 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. The film also stars Connie Britton, Danny Ramirez, Kathryn Newton, and Zach Galifianakis.

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SXSW 2021 reviews: ‘The Lost Sons’ & ‘United States Vs. Reality Winner’ are two mind blowing docs from this year’s virtual fest.

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THE LOST SONS

1960s Chicago, a baby is kidnapped from a hospital. Fifteen months later, a toddler is abandoned. Could he be the same baby? In a tale of breathtaking twists and turns, two mysteries begin to unravel and dark family secrets are revealed.

When my son was born in 2016, I remember the extreme level of security on the floor we were staying on. We all had bracelets on with his name, while he also had an electronic ankle bracelet which would beep if he were taken past a certain threshold. The idea of some stranger coming in and taking my child terrified me. I hoped to God that I never heard that alarm go off while we stayed in the hospital. Reenactments, newspaper clips, photographs, archival footage, home video, and sit-down interviews with witnesses all make up the massively intriguing and mystery-laden doc. Who is Paul Fronczak? This is a loaded question. The Lost Sons attempts to answer this question and so many others. The editing is mesmerizing. You don’t have a moment to catch your breath as this story unfolds. The twists and turns will shock you. They are relentless. I found myself shouting at the television more often than usual in one true crime sitting. It unravels like a James Patterson novel. If you are a homegrown detective, The Lost Sons at SXSW21 will be a true highlight for you.

UNITED STATES Vs. REALITY WINNER

A state of secrets and a ruthless hunt for whistleblowers – this is the story of 25-year-old NSA contractor Reality Winner.

Reality Leigh Winner saw something that she thought the entire country should know. She decided the public had a right to evidence the government was keeping secret. For this act, she was severely punished. The line between right and wrong can be blurry, but in this instance, it feels clear as day that Reality Winner was right. The film follows Reality’s mother, Billie J. Winner-Davis, as she tracks the public and the court’s response to Reality’s case. We learn about the kind of person Reality is through diary entries and jailhouse phone calls. She’s funny, talented, with a sharp wit. With the full understanding that most documentaries have an agenda, I cannot imagine someone walking away from the film without a ferocious sense of injustice. Including never-before-heard audio from Reality’s FBI  initial interview, sitdowns with her attorneys, family members, and fellow whistleblower Edward Snowden, you will finally learn what was in the document in question. Understanding the content is key to grasping the fact that Michael Flynn was pardoned and Reality Winner was given the harshest sentence in history for any whistleblower. I cannot stress this enough. I am thankful that United States Vs. Reality Winner is being shown to audiences when Joe Biden is now President. I join in the urgent call for justice. #FreeRealityWinner