Kylie Minogue's new three-part documentary series, Kylie, launched on Netflix on Wednesday and has been generating significant emotional responses ever since. The series, directed by Michael Harte, is being praised for its refreshingly raw and real encounter with pop royalty, offering a stark contrast to recent celebrity documentaries that often skirt around their subjects.
A Portrait of Resilience
The documentary highlights Kylie's almost superhuman ability to remain cheerful in the face of intense provocation, as well as the extraordinary rudeness she had to tolerate from interviewers in the past. In one clip from 2004, Michael Parkinson asks Kylie, then aged 35, about children, remarking, "Leaving it a bit late, aren't you?" Years later, Cat Deeley posed a similar question shortly after Kylie had completed chemotherapy for breast cancer.
Behind the Scenes
The series features interviews with key figures from Kylie's life, including her sister Dannii Minogue, whose reactions to how her sister has been treated over the years range from disgust to frustration. Dannii is portrayed as steelier and more outspoken than Kylie, and her comments remind viewers that she was not taken in by figures like Russell Brand during that era.
Nick Cave also appears, describing Kylie's psychotic teenage fanbase during their collaboration on Where the Wild Roses Grow as "monstrous, awful teenage girls." He recalls how Kylie brought "a beam of light" and "incredible positivity" into the lives of his bandmates, who had never met anyone who liked life so much.
Nostalgia and Family
For those who grew up with Kylie, the documentary is a nostalgic journey, featuring footage from her early days on Neighbours and her first concert at Wembley Arena in 1990. Jason Donovan, who played Kylie's on-screen love interest, appears as a sardonic, grizzled figure, struggling with his emotions as he admits to being jealous of Kylie back then. The Minogue parents, Ron and Carol, also feature prominently, with Ron's advice to invest in property proving highly profitable.
A Human Touch
Kylie's guilelessness is a central theme, with the star often exclaiming "Oh, gosh!" and "Absolute tosh!" The only time she swears is when she becomes upset discussing the late Michael Hutchence. After decades of global fame, invasive tabloids, and two cancer diagnoses, Kylie remains a figure of joy and resilience, reminding viewers of their own youth.
Emma Brockes is a Guardian columnist.
