Kylie

From that voluminous 80s hair to those iconic gold hotpants, Kylie Minogue has always been somewhat of a larger-than-life figure. But Netflix’s documentary series, Kylie, reveals that a down-to-earth woman with no pretensions lies behind the queen of camp.

The three-part series is a sensitive portrayal of a multitalented woman who is, more than anything else, a survivor. It explores her meteoric rise from Neighbours to top of the singles charts, her relationship with Jason Donovan and Michael Hutchence (the source of Minogue’s first heartbreak) and her momentous comeback in the 2000s.

The chronological structure is a little predictable, and it would have been nice to see Minogue outside of her popstar persona, perhaps exploring her other interests and pursuits. However, it excels when it highlights the ugly side of fame, such as the misogyny and rampant press intrusion she experienced.

In an unearthed clip, Loyd Grossman declares that Minogue has all the substance and depth of her own cardboard cutout. “But who can tell the difference anyway?” he sneers. “Send her back where she belongs: Melbourne Zoo,” wrote one newspaper. Reduced to her “five-foot-nothing” build and dubbed “the singing budgie”, Minogue was deeply affected by the public vitriol. Later, Michael Parkinson asks her when she’s planning to have kids, since she’s “leaving it a bit late” at 35. The singer discusses how those experiences shaped her affinity with her LGBTQ+ fanbase, which ballooned following the release of her gay club classic Can’t Get You Out of My Head.

Minogue’s breast cancer diagnosis at 36 led to further intrusion, with press camped outside her home and, later, the hospital where she was receiving treatment. Her sister, Dannii, recalls how a TV crew tried to interview her before she had even spoken to her sister about the diagnosis. Following chemotherapy, she wasn’t allowed to simply be celebrated for her return to the limelight, as the questions about motherhood soon followed (her cancer treatments left her unable to have children).

In its final moments, it’s revealed that the cancer returned in 2021, with Minogue electing to keep her diagnosis secret until now. Towards the end, we see her standing onstage in a majesty of pink feathers and bejewelled from head to toe. This is the unrelenting joy radiated by Minogue, and in turn, this documentary, which is a touching portrait of pop’s indefatigable princess.