We have witnessed some controversial celebrity documentaries of late. Despite plenty of buzz, both What Happened, Brittany Murphy? and Britney Vs. Spears received mixed receptions due to their presentation of two vulnerable women at the centre of media storms. Alanis Morrisette, too, has accused the makers of the HBO documentary about her of having a “salacious agenda” – and Malfunction: The Dressing Down Of Janet Jackson gave more air time to the events of the 2004 Super Bowl that led to Jackson being blacklisted from the music industry than it did the musician herself.

On the other hand, though, we have also been privy to some truly wonderful documentaries, too. The most recent? Why, Netflix’s critically acclaimed Pamela, A Love Story, which has been praised for allowing Anderson the chance to “take control of the narrative for the first time”.

Now, the streamer seems set to do the same for another blonde bombshell, as it promises to look beyond the tabloids to tell us the true story of one of the most talked about pop culture icons of the 90s.

Watch the trailer for Netflix’s Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me below:

Here’s what you need to know, then, about Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me.

What is Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me about?

Throughout the 2000s, Smith’s life provided ceaseless tabloid fodder, including the public battle for her late husband’s estate, drug addiction, paternity lawsuits and her first child’s untimely death. She died in a Florida hotel room in 2007 after accidentally overdosing on prescription drugs.

This new documentary, however, takes us back to the very beginning of the Anna Nicole Smith story. To the early days, when she was just a young Vickie Lynn Hogan.

Blending home movies and interviews, it attempts to get to the heart of who Anna Nicole Smith was, from her childhood to how she handled the fame she’d always wanted. In the process, it claims to finally “bring Anna Nicole’s own voice to the foreground”, with the film including never-before-seen footage from an unreleased documentary about a young Smith balancing motherhood while on the verge of global stardom.

“Bringing surprising revelations to the story of an icon, the film will include testimony from those who knew Anna Nicole best when the cameras weren’t rolling – many of whom have never shared their full story until now,” the streamer teased in an official announcement.

What are people saying about Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me?

“I want audiences to understand that Anna Nicole was a complex woman,” says director Ursula Macfarlane (The Lost Sons, Untouchable), in a new interview with Tudum. 

“She was someone who above all else wanted to be a good mother and a free-spirited exuberant woman who wanted to live life on her own terms. But her story is also a cautionary tale about how the desire for the American dream can swallow you up and spit you out, blurring your self-image and make you lose sight of your authentic self.”

Macfarlane adds: “I approached Anna Nicole’s story as an epic mystery tale. How did someone with so much charisma and jaw-dropping beauty, with the world at her feet, fall so far, so quickly? Now feels like the right time to re-examine the life of yet another beautiful young woman whose life has been picked over and ultimately destroyed by our culture.

“I am thrilled to work with Netflix and Propagate to make a moving, unflinching and sensitive portrayal of one of the most misunderstood women of our time.”

When can we watch Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me?

The documentary premieres on Netflix on 16 May.

Images: Getty