by Patrice Downing, Contributing Writer
“The great beauty of pop music is that it is a joy machine.” A quote, surprisingly coined by the King of Goth Rock, Nick Cave, but proven to be completely accurate in Netflix’s glittering new documentary series, Kylie.
If I had to try and nail down the solidification of my infatuation with documentaries, I’d say it happened in high school watching countless hours of VH1’s Behind the Music and MTV Rockumentary. I’ve always been fascinated seeing artists in their early years, before they make it big — plugging away in garages and dive bars years before world tours and platinum albums. I enjoy watching the rise to fame and its effects not only on the musicians but the genres, venues, music videos, and other wider aspects of pop culture. While back in the earlier days of these programs, having a group of diverse talking heads pick apart and reminisce about the career path of an artist was novel and entertaining enough on its own, decades later, it doesn’t quite have the same impact. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still a sucker for a brisk exploration of a public figure or topic told this way (Vice Dark Side of … franchise, I’m looking at you). However, I cannot tell you how refreshing and dare I say exciting it is to discover a new documentary told in a slightly different way.
Not gonna lie, when I saw that Kylie is told across three episodes, it felt a little daunting. Was I really up for almost 3 hours of the Antipodean pop princess (Hats off to Pete Waterman for teaching me a new word while watching!)? Turns out I could have easily sat through another hour thanks to a combination of compelling content told in a fresh format. If you caught 2023’s Wham! then you are already familiar with the quirky and almost disjointed feel of producer John Battsek of Ventureland Studios’s style that makes films feel more tactile. Much like Wham!’s use of scrapbooks borrowed from Andrew Ridgeley’s mother, Kylie uses an absolute treasure trove of material turned over to the crew by Kylie Minogue herself. It truly speaks volumes about Minogue’s character that she both surrounds herself with a team she trusts with this decision and feels comfortable exploring the life she has led unfiltered, unfettered, and unchecked before the film’s release. Journals, slides, negative proof sheets (remember when actual film was a thing?), memos, tickets, camcorder videos, and so much more were turned over to director Michael Harte and crew to explore and use however they saw fit without any oversight from Minogue. That is the kind of trust fall not many artists would take and knowing that little tidbit before I started watching added another layer of intrigue. And speaking of Mr. Harte… you may already be familiar with his fast-paced editing style from another 2023 documentary, Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie. I love this flashy, beat-driven editing that serves to actually give the audience a similar sense of chaos to what Minogue was experiencing in her career. The punchy editing is also featured, using all those boxes of proof sheets to give an almost flipbook appearance and adding a visual flow from beginning to end. They quickly became a perk I was anxiously waiting to see pop up again and again.
I won’t go into a whole lot of depth on the content within the series because Minogue and Harte do a superb job on their own, but in a nutshell part one covers her rise to fame from a soap superstar on Neighbours to Top of the Pops recording artist and international singing sensation. From there part two starts to touch on her finding her own voice, leaving her label to take a turn as “Indie Kylie,” and the crude amount of backlash she was getting publicly, prematurely being labeled as a has-been. Get ready for some tugging at your heartstrings because hearing her speak about her relationship with and influence from INXS frontman Michael Hutchence got me a bit teary-eyed. Fortunately, part three brings it back around as it delves into her overcoming not one but two breast cancer battles and making an almost meteoric comeback to win a second Grammy as she continues to be a relevant influence in pop music culture.
Overall, Kylie was an upbeat, enjoyable time that dove into Minogue’s diverse career and touches on her private life without feeling intrusive. Lots of unique and personal visuals but without the feeling of leering into somebody’s life in a creepy way make this a breezy watch despite the three-episode commitment.
Rating: Loved It
Kylie is currently streaming on Netflix.
You can read more from Patrice Downing, and follow her on Serializd and Letterboxd