Melania Trump Documentary Review: A Preening, Scowling Void in Ghastly Propaganda
As the streets of America remain filled with the angry and grieving, a new documentary about Melania Trump hits cinemas, presenting a vulgar, gilded lifestyle that evokes Marie Antoinette skulking in her cake-filled chateau. This film, titled Melania, has received a mysterious theatrical release, raising questions about its purpose and impact.
An Absence of Substance
Melania Trump, born Melanija Knavs, has led an undeniably fascinating life. Raised in 1970s Yugoslavia in a state-run housing complex in present-day Slovenia, she secured a teenage modelling contract that took her across Europe and then to the United States. There, she met the unassuming, mild-mannered property tycoon, Donald Trump. This aspirational story bridges Europe and America, yet it is strikingly absent from the new Amazon documentary. Instead, the film focuses on 20 days leading up to the second Trump inauguration in January 2025.
"Everyone wants to know," Melania growls in voiceover, "so here it is." However, the documentary, with a runtime of 104 minutes, delves into trivialities such as the design of place settings and the width of hat ribbons. It touches on her excitement for her son Barron's hypothetical "beautiful family" and her sadness at the 2024 death of her mother. "Not a day goes by when I don't think about my mother," she laments, while the camera holds a shot of the coffin of President Carter, presenting American history through an idiosyncratic prism.
A Strange Genesis and Expensive Deal
The film's origins are as peculiar as its content. Melania's chief of staff denies requests for details on her mysterious Amazon deal. At the inauguration eve banquet, where guests are served a gold egg and caviar, viewers repeatedly spot Amazon proprietor Jeff Bezos alongside oligarchs like Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Tim Cook. Amazon paid around $40 million for the rights to this "story," including $28 million directly to Mrs. Trump, making it an expensive seat at an expensive table.
Directed by Brett Ratner, whose career stalled after allegations of sexual assault and harassment, the film offers him a second chance, mirroring Trump's return to the presidency. In one scene, Ratner asks Melania about her favourite musician, and she responds with "Michael Jackson," detailing how she met the late singer with her husband. This exchange highlights a vision of modern America as a country of forgiveness, albeit one mired in controversy.
Vapid Cosmopolitanism and Propaganda
"No matter where [people] come from," Melania announces in a grating voiceover, "we are bound by the same humanity." Despite her thick Slavic drawl, she only obliquely references her "country of birth," with Slovenia mentioned directly just once. A parade of immigrants, such as French-born fashion designer Hervé Pierre, reinforces a vaguely cosmopolitan angle. "Opportunities, equality," says Tham Kannalikham, a designer who moved to the US from Laos aged two. "It's really the American dream." These portrayals contrast sharply with the harsh realities faced by other immigrants in America.
To call Melania vapid would be an understatement. She describes herself as a "mother, wife, daughter, friend," yet is depicted primarily preening and scowling. Figures like Brigitte Macron and Queen Rania of Jordan appear to bolster her geopolitical credentials, but she often retreats to banal aphorisms like "Cherish your family and loved ones." Trump himself emerges as a more charismatic presence on screen, offering relief from Melania's mask of pure nothingness.
A Visceral Moment and Post-Modern Critique
As the country teeters on the verge of an irreparable schism, the Trumps' lifestyle appears grotesquely out of touch. The film is part propaganda and part sop to Big Tech companies seeking regulatory approval. It may exist as a striking artefact of a time when Americans subordinated themselves to a political and economic oligopoly. In one visceral moment, Trump announces plans to "begin straightening out the nation" at 2am after the Starlight Ball, with his event producer whimpering sycophantically, "We're all very grateful."
Perhaps Melania is merely a piece of post-modern post-entertainment. It transparently lacks the depth of a true documentary, with Melania often playing a staged version of herself. Shots are composed with the deliberateness Ratner brought to X-Men: The Last Stand, blurring the line between reality TV and pure fiction. As Donald and Melania waltz on the eve of their victory, a singer blares, "Glory, glory, hallelujah! His truth is marching on." Yet, whose truth it is and where it's going remains obscured by this captured documentary.
