Two new documentaries came out recently, chronicling the much-publicized saga of pop princess Britney Spears.
One is by The New York Times, called Controlling Britney Spears. The other is from Netflix, called Britney v. Spears.
Britney Spears documentaries have similar focuses
Each documentary briefly touches on her early fame and success and dives deep into different aspects of her long-term conservatorship.
Controlling Britney Spears discusses the excess control the conservatorship had on her life, especially her professional career. It also features interviews from individuals that spent a lot of time around Britney during the conservatorship, such as her long-time personal assistant.
Britney v. Spears spends a lot of time on the events leading up to the establishment of the conservatorship (2007–2008) and the early years of her conservatorship (2008-2009).
Conservatorship details explored, confirmed
Whether you’re an avid fan of her music (in case I haven’t made it clear, I do not fall under this category) or interested in seeing her conservatorship dismissed, both documentaries provide a lot of insight about aspects of her conservatorship that were suspected but not necessarily confirmed.
For example, the documentaries seem to confirm long-held suspicions that conservators not only had control over her personal life but could use her money for their own benefit.
One assertion, in particular, made by The New York Times’ Controlling Britney Spears, is that attorneys for Jamie Spears billed $538,000 for “media matters.” Those attorneys were paid by funds from Britney’s own assets (likely because they made the point that the services rendered provided a “benefit” to the conservatorship).