Canadians are finally going to see Framing Britney Spears, the buzzed-about documentary about the pop star’s rise and fall.
The 75-minute New York Times film, directed by Samantha Stark, will premiere on Crave beginning Feb. 26.
It examines Spears’ rise to superstar status and the mental health breakdown that led to the court-approved conservatorship she has been under since 2008. Her father Jamie and a lawyer were granted the right to make important decisions about Spears’ finances and business ventures.
After it premiered earlier this month in the U.S., music stars were among thousands who took to social media with reactions.
“It’s plaguing me that nobody knows if @britneyspears is truly okay,” Kacey Musgraves tweeted. "Really hoping that if she isn’t she can formally vocalize it in some way and that she knows all of us on the outside really give a s**t about her well-being.”
Paramore singer Hayley Williams opined: “No artist today would have to endure the literal torture that media/society/utter misogynists inflicted upon her. the mental health awareness conversation, culturally, could never be where it is without the awful price she has paid.”
TV host Tamron Hall tweeted her reaction to watching Framing Britney Spears. “It’s an understatement to call it heartbreaking.” Singer Courtney Love included a broken heart emoji in a tweet in which she shared the message: “We Are Sorry, Britney.”
Ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake publicly apologized to Spears in response to criticism sparked by the doc, which includes an old clip of Timberlake talking about his relationship with Spears and admitting he hired a lookalike for his 2002 “Cry Me a River” video.
“I am deeply sorry for the times in my life where my actions contributed to the problem, where I spoke out of turn, or did not speak up for what was right,” Timberlake wrote, in a message he shared on social media. “I specifically want to apologize to Britney Spears…
“I care deeply about the wellbeing of the people I love and have loved. I can do better and will do better.”
The pop star – who did not participate in the documentary – is in the process of trying to have her father removed from the conservatorship. Fans have campaigned for years in what is known as the “Free Britney” movement. Earlier this month, a judge ruled that Jamie Spears will remain as co-conservator.
Although she hasn’t directly addressed the documentary, Spears shared a somewhat cryptic message on Instagram shortly after it aired.
“Each person has their story and their take on other people’s stories !!!! We all have so many different bright beautiful lives !!! Remember, no matter what we think we know about a person's life it is nothing compared to the actual person living behind the lens,” she wrote.
Spears shared a clip of her performing “Toxic” three years ago and added: “I’ll always love being on stage .... but I am taking the time to learn and be a normal person ..... I love simply enjoying the basics of every day life !!!!”
Spears, 39, hasn't released a studio album since 2016's Glory and hasn't performed since her Piece of Me Tour ended in October 2018.
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