Framing Britney Spears documentary to shed new light on star’s controversial conservatorship
Singer Britney Spears arrives at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards. (Allen Berezovsky/WireImage)
Framing Britney Spears, a new documentary on FX and Hulu, will recount the pop princess’ rise to fame, public breakdown and battle for freedom.
Part of the New York Times Presents docuseries, Framing Britney Spears will dig deep into the life of the “Toxic” star and will air on FX and FX on Hulu on 5 February
It will examine the singer’s hotly-contested conservatorship, the complex court arrangement which sees her wellbeing and estate, among other things, controlled largely by her father, Jamie Spears.
A synopsis for the sixth episode reads, according to WION: “It re-examines Britney Spears‘ career and offers a new assessment of the movement rallying against her court-mandated conservatorship, capturing the unsavoury dimensions of the American pop-star machine.”
Framing Britney Spears documentary to explore the singer’s ‘unravelling’.
Britney Spears is introduced in a trailer as a “focused” girl who came “from strength” before “unravelling”, making it only the more jarring as one interviewee remarks: “How we treated her was disgusting.”
“She accepted the conservatorship was going to happen,” another interviewee says, “but she didn’t want her father to be conservator.”
Her phenomenal rise to superstardom. A downfall that shocked the world. And now, an ensuing conservatorship battle. #NYTPresents: Framing Britney Spears. Premiering Feb. 5 on @FXNetworks and @Hulu. pic.twitter.com/BZBkec7mMt
— FX Documentaries (@FXDocs) January 21, 2021
Some of those approached by the New York Times for Framing Britney Spear questioned the motivations of her father, whether it be his control of Britney’s wealth or his role as a decision-maker in her life.
“Why is she still in this? one added, as footage of a Free Britney rally plays.
Spears sought to change her conservatorship last year. Through her legal counsel, the musician tried to stop Jamie from being reinstalled in the top post after illness forced him to take leave – but courts ruled to do just that, extending the arrangement from February to September 2021.
As the fight wound its way through the court, some of Spears’ most high-decibel and dedicated fans packed the pavements outside the Los Angeles, California, courtroom as they urged judges to “free Britney”.
The grassroots movement #FreeBritney has organised marches and rallies to lobby for the conservatorship to come to an end, while also analysing the singer’s Instagram – each post, they say, is a cryptic siren call for help.
The documentary will be air on FX and Hulu on 5 February in the US. The international airing of the documentary is yet to be announced.
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