War of the Crowns: Behind the Sparkle Lies the Struggle
We’ve all heard the clichés about beauty pageants, the glinting tiaras, the frozen smiles, the whispered rivalries in the dressing room. But War of the Crowns: Fashion Vs Beauty, directed by Morgan and Charlie Mancini, politely takes those clichés, dresses them in sequins, and then shreds them on stage.
The film plants us inside Miss Diamond International, one of Australia’s largest beauty pageants, yet what it reveals isn’t a catfight in glitter heels it’s a battleground of identity, courage, and transformation. The Mancini duo, known for their people-first approach, embed themselves so deeply in the world of their subjects that the camera becomes less an observer than a confidante. What drives a woman to walk under those burning stage lights? Is it vanity? Validation?
Production design is one of the film’s secret weapons. Each backstage corridor and stage backdrop bursts with color and life, echoing the contestants’ own vivid personalities. The large, diverse cast keeps the narrative fresh—every new face comes with a different motivation, a different story to disarm your assumptions. The documentary has reality-TV energy without tipping into parody, spicing the sincerity with just the right dose of playful dramatization and comedic beats. One moment, you’re laughing at an over-the-top costume change, the next, you’re holding your breath during an intimate confession.
It’s original. It’s authentic. It’s the kind of passion project that clearly mattered to everyone involved. And that’s the heart of its appeal: War of the Crowns doesn’t just show you beauty pageants, it humanizes them, reframing the crown as a symbol not of perfection, but of survival.
That said, the documentary isn’t flawless. Sound design occasionally falters, pulling you out of the moment, and the pacing stumbles in places, stretching certain beats longer than they need to be. Still, these are small bruises on an otherwise sparkling performance.
In the end, War of the Crowns leaves you with a simple truth: the stage may be lit for glamour, but what shines brightest are the people brave enough to step into it.
