The winner of the Best Documentary Directing award at this year's Sundance Film went to Lauren Greenfield for her latest film, The Queen of Versailles. A timely film about that looks at the country's economic crisis from a different perspective, it follows billionaire David Siegel and his much younger wife, Jackie, who build the biggest, most lavish home in America. Really, it's a palace, measuring at 90,000 sq. feet with all the bells and whistles one could ask for.
There's just one problem. David, who runs the largest time share firm in the world, built his empire thanks to the volatile real estate market and cheap money, so when the bubble finally burst in 2008 he and his family, which includes eight kids, were screwed. The film chronicles the new paradigm that is their life, forced to make drastic changes to their lifestyle.
I heard nothing but great things about the film while at Sundance, in particular that it's able to drum up sympathy for this uber-wealthy, and very flashy family. There's also a good deal of humor in the newly released trailer, as the family struggles to adjust. The Queen of Versailles opens on July 20th. Check out the trailer below....
