Framing Britney Spears

A long-overdue reassessment of the career of the pop culture icon whose meteoric rise to fame & success was overshadowed by a brutal character assassination that was perpetrated by the media & paparazzi scums, Framing Britney Spears sheds a much needed light on her past & present personal struggles, and also serves as an indictment of America's media culture.

Directed by Samantha Stark, the documentary mainly concerns the conservatorship that's been imposed on Spears since 2008 but also takes us through her early days, her swift ascent in the show business, paparazzi's obsession with every facet of her life, and the field day media had in obliterating her image which led to her meltdown and in turn allowed the conservatorship issue to surface in her life.

The film features interviews from people close to Britney Spears from friends & past colleagues to people from her fervent fan base. Though interviewing a paparazzo at first seemed like a bad idea, it ultimately offered an insight into their absolute lack of humanity & compassion. And then of course, there is the sexist & misogynist culture that lies at the very heart of this media industry and is still perpetuated in one way or another.

Overall, Framing Britney Spears makes for a provocative, enlightening & arresting documentary that's as incisive as it is heartbreaking. A welcome re-examination of the influential artist whose rise was a global phenomenon, fall was a national sport, and who is still fighting to regain control of her life, the only drawback is its 74 mins runtime as the brief duration doesn't allow it to venture as deep as it possibly could have. Definitely worth a shot.