\n<\/p>\n
\n\tMelania,<\/em> Amazon MGM\u2018s documentary about Melania Trump, is billed as a behind-the-scenes look at the once-and-future first lady in the 20 days leading up to the inauguration last year.<\/p>\n \n\tWhile much has been written about what Melania <\/em>is, in watching the movie a viewer will very quickly realize what it isn\u2019t: Any kind of surprisingly revelatory account of what it has been like for her to be the spouse of one of the most divisive political figures in American history. <\/p>\n \n\tGiven that the first lady is a producer on the project, that is hardly surprising. Melania<\/em> is instead an exercise in carefully crafted image-making and branding, something that is hardly unique to a first lady or any of her predecessors, and actually is becoming more of a thing in the documentary world as more public figures seek control of how to tell their stories. <\/p>\n \n\tMelania<\/em> avoids getting into the fray of any controversy that happens during the weeks leading up to the inauguration and the day itself, much less what has happened in the year since. <\/p>\n \n\tIn one of the candid moments, as Donald Trump practices his inaugural address with a group of aides, Melania Trump suggests a change to the speech, that he add the word \u201cunifier.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cDon\u2019t put that on tape, please,\u201d Donald Trump tells the documentary crew.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cPlease do,\u201d Melania Trump responds.<\/p>\n \n\tTrump gives in, and says, \u201cThe wife gave me a good idea.\u201d In the speech, he did end up saying, \u201cMy proudest legacy will be that of peacemaker of unifier.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tYet in the scenes of the Trumps attending the swearing in, the congressional luncheon and the tony balls, no mention is made of the president\u2019s signing of a blizzard of executive orders that day, including his polarizing move to pardon those involved in the January 6, 2021 riot and siege of the Capitol.<\/p>\n \n\tThe documentary, which opened on Friday, had no advance press screening, and most reporters were not allowed into the gala Kennedy Center premiere showing on Thursday. Instead, reviewers and others screened the movie at their local multiplexes.<\/p>\n \n\tWe did, too, so here are six takeaways from Melania<\/em>:<\/p>\n \n\tWho is Melania Trump?: <\/strong>It\u2019s still a bit of a mystery. The documentary starts at Mar-A-Lago, and the first shot of Melania Trump starts with her stiletto heels. She then she makes the trek to New York, where, in the gilded condo at Trump Tower, she works with designers to select inaugural outfits. Then she works with an interior designer on plans for the White House residence. And then she gets a glimpse at a graphic designer\u2019s carefully crafted inaugural invites. The message: Melania Trump is a model and designer, central to her expertise and image.<\/p>\n \n\tThese shades of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous<\/em>, though, eventually give way to more personal moments, as when she attends the funeral of President Jimmy Carter and mourns the one year anniversary of the loss of her mother with a trip to St. Patrick\u2019s Cathedral. <\/p>\n \n\tThat said, while Trump expresses reverence for her mother and her father, who is still living, and expresses pride in her son Barron, her own backstory remains rather brief, with just mentions of her journey from Slovenia, into a modeling career, and to the United States. Nothing much is said of that migration, or how she met Donald Trump. And as much as Melania Trump has sought to forge her own path as a first lady and fashion icon, we don\u2019t learn much about the reasons behind some of her choices. She talks about her central initiatives, including Be Best, children and foster care, but there are few revelations of her motivations for selecting those topics. And while we see her trying on and crafting the wide brimmed hat she wore at the inauguration, we never really find out why she wore what was one of the more striking outfits worn by a first lady on that day. <\/p>\n \n\tThere is a lot of walking: <\/strong>There is a lot of walking in Melania<\/em>, through carefully guarded corridors, onto stages, into parties and celebrations, getting into motorcades. Director Brett Ratner got behind-the-scenes access to the first lady and to Trump, and it shows up on the screen. There\u2019s even a shot of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, each frowning, as they wait to enter the Capitol Rotunda together where Trump will be sworn into office. <\/p>\n \n\tThere are worries about security: <\/strong>At a number of points, Trump expresses concern, understandably, about safety, including a moment when officials are outlining plans for the inaugural route. <\/p>\n \n\tAs talk turns to whether the Trumps will get out of the motorcade and walk part of the way, Melania Trump says, \u201cIf we got out, I think people will know where we already would go out. So it is kind of like, how could that be safe, especially with the last year, what\u2019s going on and stuff. I have concerns, honestly, and I know Barron will not go out of the car. That\u2019s his decision. I respect that.\u201d <\/p>\n \n\tShe doesn\u2019t go into the assassination attempts on her husband\u2019s life, but says in voiceover at another point, \u201cNobody has endured what he has over the past few years. People try to murder him, incarcerate him, slander him, and here he is. I\u2019m so very proud.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThere are candid moments: <\/strong>As private as Melania Trump is, there are some moments where the guard comes down ever so slightly.<\/p>\n \n\tOne segment features Melania Trump meeting with Aviva Siegel, an Israeli who was held hostage by Hamas, and she breaks down in tears as she seeks help securing the release of her husband, Keith. Trump hugs her and says words of comfort, and says of her husband, \u201cI know that is his priority. I am sure of it.\u201d Siegel was released on Feb. 1, 2025, just weeks later, as part of a cease fire deal worked out by the Joe Biden and Trump administrations.<\/p>\n \n\tIn another moment, the first lady, riding in a motorcade, is asked by Ratner about her favorite music. She tells him Michael Jackson and Billie Jean<\/em>. With the song playing, she begins to mouth the words. \u201cCarpool karaoke with Melania,\u201d Ratner tells her, as she laughs.<\/p>\n \n\tOne of the main highlights is in the private residence of the White House, as the Trumps return from a night of inaugural balls. It is 2 a.m., and they\u2019ve ordered up dinner from the private kitchen.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThat was some evening, wasn\u2019t it?\u201d the president says. \u201cIt was an amazing evening and an amazing day, the inaugurations.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cAnd you had your first lady with you right by your side,\u201d Ratner says.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cNobody like her. She\u2019s very difficult. Nobody like her\u2026 She\u2019s great,\u201d the president says.<\/p>\n \n\tThen, he tells his wife and Ratner, \u201cI\u2019ll see you guys tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cGood night,\u201d the first lady says. \u201cSweet dreams, Mr. President,\u201d Ratner says.<\/p>\n \n\tThe moment may not be particularly revelatory and it still is a bit guarded, but it was candid, and at a key moment captured an area of the White House typically off limits to the press.<\/p>\n \n\tThe first lady celebrates immigration.<\/strong> In the voiceover of footage during inauguration day, Melania Trump says, \u201cWalking into the Capitol Rotunda, I felt the weight of history intertwined with my own journey as an immigrant, a reminder of why I respect this nation so deeply. Everyone should do what they can to protect our individual rights. Never take them for granted, because in the end. no matter where we come from, we are bound by the same humanity.\u201d <\/p>\n \n\tWho could disagree with that? <\/p>\n \n\tYet it\u2019s just one of several moments of irony in the documentary, given that has happened in the first year of the Trump administration. There\u2019s been the ICE and Border Patrol crackdown on illegal immigration, but the Trump administration also has tightened legal immigration as well, with new restrictions and limitations. Other than referencing the success of immigration, the first lady doesn\u2019t address what was a central issue to her husband\u2019s campaign, and one that is at the center of current unrest in Minneapolis.<\/p>\n \n\tThe unexpected \u2014 or unintentional. <\/strong>Elon Musk is seen in several shots, including at a pre-inaugural candlelight dinner where it appears like a woman is seated on his lap. His appearances are a reminder of how central he once was to the administration and, given the pace of the news cycle, how even a moment that happened just a year ago feels like eons.<\/p>\n \n\tThere\u2019s also a brief shot of Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, which ended up bankrolling the documentary and its marketing and distribution push, reportedly for $70 million.<\/p>\n \n\tThere\u2019s even a moment when an aide to Melania Trump ponders how to respond to an inquiry from Matt Belloni of Puck, about the documentary itself, a prelude to all the attention paid to Amazon\u2019s outlay for the project.<\/p>\n \n\tThen there\u2019s a moment when the Trumps arrive at the White House on inauguration day, as they are greeted by President Joe and Jill Biden. It\u2019s a moment that celebrates the transition of power, but one that Donald Trump refused his successor four years earlier. There is no mention of that in Melania, but in the clip, as the couples turn to enter the White House for a morning tea, a reporter can be heard shouting, \u201cWill America survive the next president?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n