‘Britney vs. Spears’: What was exposed in Netflix’s documentary?

With two Britney Spears documentaries dropping this month, we can finally witness the truth. Netflix is releasing a new Britney Spears documentary on September 28th. Yet, this is just days after Hulu is releasing their own Britney Spears documentary, a joint production with FX. 

Netflix put out a trailer for their documentary, Britney vs. Spears, yesterday. Before releasing the full-length trailer, Netflix shared a teaser which definitely got fans hyped for the premiere. The documentary will follow Britney’s legal battle with her father over her conservatorship. So, when will Netflix release Britney vs. Spears?

Netflix sets film release just before Spears’ trial

Though the trailers were only released within a week of the documentary’s premiere, Britney’s fans have been aware of its impending arrival for some time. The documentary’s air date seems intentional, as it comes the day before Britney is scheduled to appear in court after her father, Jamie Spears, agreed to step down as her conservator and filed to end her conservatorship altogether. 

One of the most highly anticipated documentaries of the year coming the day before one of the most highly anticipated court hearings of the year is sort of brilliant, marketing-wise. There’s been plenty of debate over the ethics of it, but fans seem excited to watch it nonetheless.

Hulu vs. Netflix

Meanwhile, FX on Hulu will be releasing Controlling Britney Spears, a sequel to their previous Britney Spears documentary, Framing Britney Spears. Both documentaries claim to cover both the public story of the conservatorship and private insider stories about Britney’s struggle. 

However, some Britney Spears fans think that the singer might actually be involved with Netflix’s documentary. They think that this documentary is the heavily hinted at “project red” from Britney’s many Instagram posts. 

Both Netflix’s teaser trailer & full-length trailer quickly received millions of views, so it’s safe to say there will be many people watching the documentary when it comes out. 

Trailer

The trailer starts with Britney saying via voiceover “I just want my life back”. Another person begins to speak, explaining that Britney has been silenced. Footage can be seen of Britney being escorted through crowds of paparazzi, followed by old footage of her with her family. Britney tragically details that she couldn’t even depend on her parents to look out for her. 

The narration discusses Britney’s suspicion of her family’s greed where her success was concerned. It looks like the documentary will also dive into the fan’s obsessive analysis of Britney’s Instagram posts, where she seemed to be constantly posting that everything was fine before finally opening up in a series of posts this year. Ultimately, the documentary seems to be an investigation of how her conservatorship turned abusive. 

One standout quote from the trailer is from a man who claims to have represented many conservatees in court. He says that none of the ones he’s represented has had a job. This is interesting because obviously, Britney has been working throughout her conservatorship, sometimes against her will. All of this adds to the narrative that her conservators have profited hugely from their position. 

One argument in favor of the documentary’s ethics is that it will shed light on the way a powerful woman was taken advantage of in a totally legal way. The trailer features Britney herself lamenting over the fact that she’s worked her entire life. It also teases leaked official documents about Britney’s conservatorship. Meanwhile, the #FreeBritney movement members can be seen in the trailer protesting outside of courthouses. 

Recent developments

Earlier this year, Britney gave a long statement during a court hearing on her conservatorship status. She detailed the abuse she’s faced under the conservatorship, including being forced to work in order to pay those that make the choices about her life. She also talked about being put on medications that made her feel drunk & impaired, and not being allowed to do things for herself like drive a car. 

Since her impassioned plea to the court, Britney has hired her own attorney, Matthew Rosengart. Rosengart has worked with Spears to shed more light on her struggle and get James Spears to agree to step down as conservator. Next week, the court will decide if the conservatorship can be done away with altogether. 

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Will you be watching Netflix’s documentary? Do you think Britney signed off on it? Let us hear your thoughts in the comments!