Winner Director Susanna Fogel: Reality Winner’s Greatest Gift & Liability Are the Same

As a movie enthusiast who has had the privilege of directing a film about the captivating and enigmatic Reality Winner, I can attest that her life story is a fascinating tapestry woven from the threads of small-town Texas. Growing up in Kingsville, she was just like any other nine-year-old girl, running wild with her pink BB gun and fluorescent clothes, chasing after her dreams amidst the fields behind their mobile home.

Note: The below op-ed was written by Winner director Susanna Fogel. Her new film, starring Emilia Jones, Connie Britton, Zach Galifianakis, and Kathryn Newton, is now available on VOD.

“I love cows and football. That’s pretty much South Texas in a nutshell.”

The first thing Reality Winner responded with when I mentioned I was writing an article about her and how her Texas upbringing influenced her decisions, was to focus on the choice that led her to a federal penitentiary by the age of 26. Since this is likely the story people are most curious about, I’ll delve into that particular incident. Intriguingly, this event has been portrayed in three different films, including one directed by me which is currently accessible on VOD and in select cinemas! However, it’s important to note that if Reality Winner were to direct a movie, she wouldn’t focus on herself like I just did. Instead, her mind is always centered on others – a characteristic that unfortunately landed her in prison. We’ll revisit this topic later.

If you haven’t heard of Reality Winner, let me paint a picture for you. Imagine a nine-year-old girl with blond hair, who loves pink and fluorescent clothes, running around in the fields behind her family’s mobile home in Kingsville, Texas. She enjoys animals, soccer, watching Futurama with her sister, and taking road trips to Mexico with her father, which is only half an hour away. Most of her friends are Mexican or first-generation Mexican-American, with families on both sides of the border, including the woman who’s helping care for her ailing father due to complications from painkiller addiction. The idea of “us versus them” doesn’t resonate with Reality because she lives in such a diverse and integrated community. Her family is deeply involved in this community: her mother is a social worker advocating for children in foster care, and they regularly attend church, where they learn the importance of charitable work.

Okay, now you can Google Reality Winner. Depending on your political leanings and the algorithm they created, the headlines will either paint her as a traitor trying to overthrow the government, or a grandstanding hero pushing a leftist agenda. The truth is, she’s neither. Reality is just a regular person from Texas who makes choices moment to moment based on her values, which are quintessentially Texan. She places a premium on the idea of personal freedom, of the right to think for herself. After high school, she joined the military like so many people from her town. She won medals for her service, then went on to work for the N.S.A. in a surveillance job, trying to root out potential threats to American safety. Like so many people reading this article right now, Reality is adventurous, bold, and fiercely individualistic, with a stubborn streak that makes her a force to be reckoned with. All qualities that are admirable in the abstract but a threat to a government that prefers its citizens be compliant.

Leaving behind the enigma, let’s delve back into the real world and discuss what actually transpired. Following the 2016 election, our administration asserted they had no evidence of Russia hacking our elections. This statement sparked a heated debate that consumed the media landscape for months. Meanwhile, Reality Winner was silently seated at her government job, gazing at a document on her computer screen that confirmed there indeed was a cyber-attack. The authorities were aware of this fact. While it didn’t show votes had been altered, it revealed we were under attack.

Patriotism can be challenging to pin down, given the current state of our nation, where we find ourselves deeply divided and questioning the effectiveness of many of our established institutions. Is being a patriot synonymous with unquestioningly supporting whatever decisions are made by our elected leaders? This country was born from individuals who were dissatisfied with their leadership and chose to act autonomously. Isn’t that the spirit we honor on Independence Day? Or is patriotism about something more rooted in community and humanity, where we should work towards what benefits the greatest number of people in our nation, regardless of the power structure? If it’s the latter, then what’s best for the majority? Some might argue that the truth is the most beneficial to people. To others, acting against their leader could have been seen as the more patriotic choice.

What do you think? What would you have done in her position? Do you generally trust your leadership, or do you wish it could change? If so, in what way? What would you risk, if anything, to help? Maybe nothing. Maybe everything. There are no easy answers, but Reality’s story makes us ask the questions, which is essential right now as we all hurtle toward the next election.

Reality Winner, who served time in prison, is now residing in Kingsville and pursuing a career as a veterinary technician. Her hobbies include Crossfit, Pit Bulls, and Adult Swim. Despite the extraordinary nature of her story, she remains a typical small-town girl from close to the Mexican border, a character that’s hard to summarize in a headline. Texas is where she calls home because it embodies the spirit of being “wild and free,” which describes her perfectly but also presents challenges for her.

2024-09-26 21:10

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