‘Britney vs. Spears’ 3 Most Important Facts We Learned From the Documentary
The latest documentary, Britney vs. Spears, released by Netflix about pop sensation Britney Spears takes viewers into the world of her conservatorship held by her father, Jamie Spears. It also features interviews with people who were formerly close to Spears in one way or another.
Sam Lufti, who has always been seen as a controversial figure in Spears’ life, claims he was used as a scapegoat. Former love interest and photographer Adnan Ghalib talks about the night the conservatorship became effective. Here are some of the most important facts revealed in the documentary.
Britney Spears temporary conservatorship listed ‘under orders related to dementia placement’
The creators behind Britney vs. Spears are Jenny Eliscu, a journalist who’s been reporting on Spears for over two decades, and documentary filmmaker Erin Lee Carr. One of the most shocking revelations in the documentary showed the reason given for Spear’s conservatorship – “orders related to dementia.”
As the women probe further, they discover that Spears was evaluated by Dr. J. Edward Spar. Dr. Spar is now a retired geriatric psychiatrist. Spears was in her early 20s when the conservatorship was put in place. So, it seems odd that she would be evaluated by a geriatric psychiatrist. But he was the doctor who signed off on the condition.
Spar agrees to an Interview on camera, and when asked if he had heard of Spears’ music before he met her, Spar begins to say how he wasn’t really into her type of pop music before catching himself. He then quickly blurts out, “Oh wait, before I met her? I’m not going to acknowledge that I ever met her.”
Britney tried to retain her own lawyer more than once to petition her father as conservator
The documentary spends a good deal of time with Ghalib, Spear’s ex. In text messages revealed in the documentary, she had contacted Ghalib more than once to get his help in retaining her own lawyer. Adam Streisand attempted to represent Spears. A judge read a report saying she didn’t have the capacity to retain her own counsel nor attorney-client privileges, and Streisand had to leave.
An attorney named Sam Ingham was assigned to Britney’s case. Lufti, her former manager, and Ghalib put together a court petition not long after. Eliscu even recalls traveling to the Montage in Beverly Hills and giving the petition for her to sign underneath a bathroom stall.
One lawyer notes that he’s never once known a person under conservatorship to hold a job
When someone is placed under a conservatorship, specific reasons are checked off in the paperwork that demonstrates why the person in question can’t manage their own life. This includes things like being able to provide appropriate shelter and food.
At one point, the documentary turns to a lawyer to get the basic requirements of a conservatorship. “You have to be unable to meet your needs for food, clothing, health and shelter.” Within two months of the claims that Spears suffered from dementia, she filmed on-set for an episode of How I Met Your Mother.
Spears is finally getting the world to listen. However, it’s still shocking to hear about everything she’s been through. Britney vs. Spears is currently streaming on Netflix.
