It’s no secret that pop superstar Britney Spears has been enduring several personal and legal troubles for a majority of her career. Amid the #FreeBritney movement that continues to rise, the reality of Spears’ lack of rights is being exposed in the media. Netflix has thrown its hat into the ring with Britney vs Spears, a documentary put together by journalist Jenny Eliscu and filmmaker Erin Lee Carr.
Eliscu and Carr interview a number of people who took part in Spears’ life as members of her inner circle. From former assistant and close friend Felicia Culotta to Spears’ former manager Osama “Sam” Lufti, these individuals seem to have had various impacts and intentions for not only Britney, but also for the entire Spears’ family.
Culotta even avoids certain questions asked about Spears and her family, saying that the trouble the answers may bring her isn’t worth it.
There are a few central bombshell revelations claimed to have been made in this documentary. One of the more surprising is when Spears’ conservatorship was first initiated and her paperwork cited “orders related to dementia,” in regards to her medical condition.
A geriatric doctor, Dr. James Edward Spar, is the one who allegedly wrote the report. In an interview featured in the documentary, Spar denies ever having met Spears.
“I’m not going to verify that I was ever brought in to evaluate Britney Spears,” Spar said when asked.
The documentary goes so far as to claim that Spears had to ask permission to do even the simplest of things, such as order a hamburger or gain the money to buy books for her two sons.
Eliscu and Carr handle all of these matters with a surprising amount of tact and care. The thorough execution makes enough sense, as the documentary began filming two years prior as an exploration of Spears’ music career.
Eliscu is the journalist that attempted to help Spears at the Montage Hotel in Laguna Beach, California, sliding papers under a bathroom stall door for her to attain a lawyer to fight the conservatorship. Eliscu states her soft spot for Spears as a person, beyond her pop star persona, numerous times.
Britney vs Spears contains a number of revelations made about Spears’ long fought conservatorship. Although the frequent paparazzi footage and interview could have been better spent by focusing on people such as Culotta or one of Spears’ former backup dancers, Tania Baron, the overall structure of the film attempts to shine a better light on Spears.
The documentary seems to be playing in Spears’ favor. As of Sept. 29, Spears’ father, Jamie Spears, has been suspended as the conservator of Britney after 13 years.
Britney vs Spears is now streaming on Netflix.
