‘Framing Britney Spears’ Will Make You Feel Guilty, Horrified, And Motivated To Help The Pop Icon

I went into The New York Times Presents: Framing Britney Spears thinking, I’ll see what they have to say, but what is this documentary really going to tell me that I don’t already know? I was a teen at the height of her success and MTV’s Total Request Live was nothing short of a formative experience for me. I have a belly button piercing. I traveled across the country to witness the Las Vegas residency. I might not be bold enough to call myself an expert, but if I were at a trivia night and the topic was Britney Spears, I’m confident I’d have that round on lock. And then I watched this documentary, and it changed everything I thought I knew.

It’s not so much that Framing Britney Spears taught me a ton I didn’t already know about her career, but holy hell did it open my eyes, especially viewing the events of 20 years ago through the lens of today. I will admit I also went into this experience rather skeptical of the #FreeBritney movement. At times it has felt perhaps blown out of proportion or a bit dramatic and we all know the danger of spreading conspiracy theories across the internet today. But my mind has definitely shifted on the matter, and not only does it feel legit and more urgent than ever, but yet another example that, despite the song on her 2000 album, maybe What U See is not always What U Get.

Right away, this doc establishes its credibility with the inclusion of Felicia Culotta, or Fe as longtime Britney fans will know her. It is especially remarkable that she takes us inside her life today as well as her career with Britney and how that has changed over the years, all while remaining her bright, cheery, optimistic self and never making outright or damning claims in one direction or the other. She makes it clear that her participation in the documentary is to “Remind people of why they fell in love with her in the first place,” and in that mission, she very much succeeds.

However, what doesn’t take long to become crystal clear is that we, the people, have failed Britney. Similar to last month’s Tiger documentary, this one is a raw and brutal exploration of fame in America and precisely what a dangerous game that always proves to be. If anything, this story is even messier and certainly more worrisome. Britney hasn’t had her comeback — yet. Though what this special exposes may be the key to helping her achieve that.

While early moments provide first-hand accounts that suggest Britney was not the puppet she was believed to be in the early stages of her career, it then becomes chilling to witness the way the media, and therefore all of us, treated this young woman. The misogyny of the early 2000s will make you sick to your stomach. That journalists (often male, natch) found it within their right to ask such prying and private questions about her breasts, body, and virginity is disgusting. But we ate it up then. Ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake is always an easy target, but he’s implicated here too, at the start of his solo career when he was desperate to be accepted, via a clip of him making a dumb dude comment on a radio show — one that would not go unchecked today. Britney was judged for every single choice she made and no one seemed to hold back. When Kendel Ehrlich, wife of the former governor of Maryland, outright said she would shoot Britney, the pop star’s instinctual and innocent response of “ew” is as genuine and succinct as it gets. This documentary shows more than one interview where Britney breaks down in tears and I guess we just…watched?

Her downfall is chronicled accurately as the careless circus it was, but due to the rapid succession of the clips, viewers are able to watch as the light leaves her eyes. It’s there at the start of the Kevin Federline relationship, but by the end, along with her hair, it is gone.

In addition to Felicia, those that worked with Britney at the height of her career weigh in, including Decider pal and former MTV VJ Dave Holmes, as well as New York Times editors, music and media industry professionals, paparazzi, and lawyers. They all paint a picture that is really, really hard not to feel guilty about. Even if we didn’t directly contribute, we didn’t help when she was clearly crying out for it. As a fan, I feel complicit. The images from the night with the umbrella, are hard to look at but impossible to look away from. I remember being on spring break in the Bahamas at the time and seeing that image on the cover of a tabloid at a small market where you weren’t allowed to thumb through magazines unless you purchased them. Imagine walking away from that image! But I did. I couldn’t believe it was true and I didn’t want to believe it was true. And I can’t believe we let it get to that point.

But we did, and Framing Britney Spears lays out exactly why: it’s likely Britney was suffering from a severe case of post-partum depression, yet we just gawked at her shaved head and laughed at the numerous jokes about it. This says everything about the treatment of women, the most famous one in America, and it will sure make you wonder: what were we hoping to achieve from this? What did we expect the outcome to be? Why didn’t we help? And what can we do to make it up to her now?

Enter Britney’s dad, Jamie Spears, who starts to get involved when her health is as fragile as it’s ever been, and as the documentary suggests, likely for his own financial interests. That’s when the conservatorship begins. Framing Britney Spears provides context to Jamie’s interest and involvement in his daughter’s life throughout her career that hasn’t really been stated so explicitly to this point. The lawyers here, with degrees of involvement on both Britney and Jamie’s sides,  do a great job of thoroughly explaining particular elements of a conservatorship case, while also emphasizing what a huge legal impact this one could have for years to come — both on her life and in future cases as well. Fans concerned for her safety and freedom as part of the #FreeBritney campaign are also interviewed outside of the courthouse, showing their support with homemade neon pink signs.

The one thing this heart-breaking, infuriating, and eye-opening documentary knows for sure is that this moment is, and should be, a wake-up call. You’ll hear the phrase “we don’t know what we don’t know” more than once and that’s really and sadly the truest fact present. We don’t know what her current mental state is today — we only know what it used to be, what we hope it is, and the potential that remains. We can’t know for sure if Jamie’s control is detrimental, though there is little to suggest it is necessary or beneficial. We do know there must be an agreement that can be reached that feels safe and satisfactory for Britney, for her dad, and for her fans.

The documentary also wisely addresses her Instagram which is regularly parsed for clues of her well being, her desires, and her current stability. I want to believe the selfies and the dancing and the “Q&As” and the fashion modeling videos and the random as all hell, emoji-filled captions are that of a content and even happy woman. But please know it will be a real challenge to hang on to that belief after watching this.

Framing Britney Spears is a must-watch not only for Britney fans, but for anyone with even the slightest interest in modern pop culture. It presents just as many questions as it does answers, and perhaps it is up to us to lead the conversation or the protests outside the courthouse after viewing this. It’s impossible to emerge without feeling extreme guilt over the way she was treated, growth over what we now deem acceptable (though there is much work to still be done), and ultimately, an urgency for this unique situation. This doc can and should inspire many important conversations across the legal, music, and media industries. Framing Britney Spears is entertaining to watch, but even more than that, it is shocking and hopefully motivating.

#FreeBritney

Stream The New York Times Presents: Framing Britney Spears on FX and Hulu