Britney vs. Spears

Not a good documentary from a filmmaking perspective but Britney's story is so moving I couldn't help but got angry and teary-eyed. From what I've heard about conservatorship is that it's a very rare occurrence that is usually opted for as a last resort (in Europe at least, not sure how it's like in the US). It's truly baffling how they so easily placed a 27 year old woman under a conservatorship AND refused to lift it in later years even though she was obviously a sane and functioning adult. Why did this happen to her in the first place? And more importantly, why did it take 13 years to right this wrong? Britney's ordeal proves once again that there's something seriously wrong with the system and I wish the documentary had examined it more closely.

Britney vs. Spears is a fascinating biopic about the conservatorship of popstar Britney Spears. Documentarian Lee Carr and entertainment journalist Jenny Eilsia examine how Britney Spears’ life spiraled out of control in 2007, losing custody of her children and getting committed to a hospital, resulting in her losing all her legal rights as an individual and being placed under the conservatorship of her father, and despite numerous attempts to fight the conservatorship and producing hit albums and conducting worlds tours, she remained under the conservatorship an unprecedented 13-years. Numerous interviews are conducted with Britney’s former friends and employees, as well as legal experts. However, at times Carr and Eilsia make themselves part of the documentary, which feels kind of jarring and changes the documentary style. Also, there are some giant leaps in the timeline with little explanation as to what happened in-between. Still, overall the film does a solid job at highlighting the major events and changes that occurred during the conservatorship, and how it was continually enforced despite Britney’s growing career successes. It’s a little unpolished and has some problems, but Britney vs. Spears is a captivating tale of greed, betrayal, and a gross miscarriage of justice.