The New York Times’ Framing Britney Spears and Apple TV+’s Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry focus on two pop stars separated by a generation. Both documentaries examine their lives concerning the industry, the so-called child star syndrome, and public perception. Where one is plagued by the image of a shaved head and a weaponized umbrella, the other baggy clothes and green hair — stereotypes and stigmas shitting on icons. It’s a wonder if anyone involved knew these contrasting films would be released within a week of one another. That thousands of articles would be written comparing these two very different (yet similar) singers and asking, who had the better doc? In this edition of Mandatory Movie Battles, we look for answers.
Cover Photo: FX Network/Apple TV+
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If this felt like approbation for The World’s a Little Blurry, it kind of is. It’s not the best documentary ever and lacking in some areas. Still, it feels authentic. Framing Britney leaves us wanting a lot more. It’s not a stretch to call it propaganda, even if for a just cause. Eilish’s fame, while absurd, is navigable thanks to an amazing support system and lack of talking heads. Obvious takeaway: Britney Spears deserved a lot better than she got from the public (and still does) but that doesn’t make Framing Britney any more enjoyable. The world is a little blurry and should be treated as such—people, especially kids, should be allowed to trip, stumble, and even fall.
Overall Winner: The World’s a Little Blurry
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Spears v Eilish
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Style of Storytelling
As you know, Framing Britney is very much a response to the #FreeBritney movement, examining the controversial conservatorship thrust upon the starlet following that notorious mental health crisis. It outlines how those closest to her, tabloid journalism, and misogyny drove her to madness (or at least speculates). It’s not a depiction of Spears' journey from child superstar to a grown woman who has little-to-no control over her life and assets but an exercise in empathy – it doesn’t show us anything we shouldn’t already know via Google, YouTube, and a contemporary lens. No one has ever liked Diane Sawyer.
Following the footsteps of those VH1 reruns you watched for little-to-no reason, it’s a compilation of in-house-style interviews and archival footage. Because of this, it becomes a borderline podcast at times. Spears herself does not make an appearance. Eilish, on the other hand, is front and center in The World’s a Little Blurry; writing songs in her brother’s bedroom, uploading “Ocean Eyes” to SoundCloud, and jumping her way through a European tour. Framing Britney may provide some much-needed context but it has a few too many talking heads.
Winner: The World's a Little Blurry
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Triggers (Most Triggering)
Opinions are like assholes, we don’t always want to see them. Framing Britney wants to trigger you with its take on early 21st-century fame and for good reason. It begins by stating: Jamie Spears, Britney’s father, has been in charge of her estate for the past 12 years. It then largely deals with the sexualization and hounding of Britney during an era of double-standards; from reporters wanting to discuss her breasts to Daniel Ramos, the paparazzo whose vehicle she once drew her umbrella on. In The World’s a Little Blurry, we’re shown Billie being overwhelmed by meeting with fans, posing for photos but it’s nothing compared to what Spears dealt with: virginity-obsessed journalists, slut-shaming, and Sawyer asking, “what did you do?” after Kendel Ehrlich says she’d shoot Spears for cheating on Justin Timberlake.
Winner: Framing Britney
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The Worse Ex
That’s a joke. Romance is not a genre one would associate with either of these documentaries. Quite the opposite. These pop stars’ respective boyfriends’ assholery has been a topic of conversation (understatement). Framing Britney explores how the press slut-shamed Spears following her split from NSYNC-era Timberlake. One big male revenge fantasy set to “Cry Me a River.” No doubt egged on by his team, Timberlake controlled the narrative, smeared her image, and used the break to further his career. The World’s a Little Blurry features Billie’s ex-boyfriend, rapper Brandon Quention Adams. Things start strong and then fade to the point where it seems like Brandon is neglecting Billie but no one can even name a Brandon banger sooo...
Winner: Framing Britney
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Music
Framing Britney isn’t necessarily concerned with the artistic process. Sure, we are shown clips of Spears performing “...Baby One More Time” in shopping malls and other archival footage but nothing on par with The World’s a Little Blurry’s “live and in-person” feel. One of the film’s earliest sequences shows Billie’s performing “bored” live; sweep up at the moment, the crowd sings along—it feels like you’re there. After a fan falls, Billie stops the show... “She’s okay! Are you guys okay? Hey, you guys need to fucking be okay because you’re the reason I’m okay.”
From Eilish’s dark, twisted, yet therapeutic journal that inspired many of her music videos and recording songs until they’re perfect to spraining her ankle on stage, The World’s a Little Blurry creates intimate spaces framed by Eilish’s music and creative process. Framing Britney isn’t about music as much as it’s a reminder that we royally fucked up.
Winner: The World's a Little Blurry
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Runtime
Framing Britney is an episode in The New York Times Presents’ ongoing series of stand-alone documentaries. That said, it’s only 1 hour and 14 minutes. Short, not so sweet, and very much to the point. The World’s a Little Blurry is a whopping 2 hours and 21 minutes. If you’re not a fan of Eilish, you may not find yourself sitting through the whole thing.
Winner: Framing Britney
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Depiction of Family
Eilish's mom, Maggie Baird (writer), says "I honestly don't know how any artist at any age is doing it without a parent. It is a horrible time to be a teenager. Kids are depressed." Eilish’s parents, Baird and Patrick O’Connell (actor), and her musical partner, Finneas, are as present in The World’s a Little Blurry as its star—she still lives at home with her parents. Spears’ southern family clearly lacked the knowledge and resources to protect her from the industry, be creative, or deal. Eilish’s parents taught her to write, perform, and ignore the noise—they’re always there. In 2021, The World’s a Little Blurry makes a good argument for being home-schooled. Even now, Baird is probably asking Eilish something like, "Are your lyrics seriously implying that you jump off the roof?” To which Eilish will reply, “Saying it instead of doing it, is better.”
Winner: The World's a Little Blurry
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Hope
We get to see Eilish pass her driver’s test at 13 and win all the Grammys at 19. Despite music videos where her eyes bleed black and cigarettes are put out on her skin, she isn’t having a nervous breakdown. Even if she is, that’s her business. She isn’t altering her voice or the way she acts to promote a particular image. On the surface, the themes of her art might make people think she’s susceptible to a stereotypical child-star descent but that’s just it: she’s not afraid of the darkness which may make the darkness afraid of her. It’s a different world and we’re certainly giving Eilish a better shake. There’s hope she’ll live a happy, creative life; performing “Bad Guy” for the nursing home’s fellow wrinklies at the ripe age of 110. This is not to say there isn't hope for Spears' wellness and conservatorship, just that The World's a Little Blurry implies at least some progress since the tragic events of Framing Britney.
Winner: The World's a Little Blurry
