How the Melania Trump documentary became the most mysterious film of the year

Amazon spent $40m to acquire the new movie about the US first lady, directed by Hollywood outcast Brett Ratner. Its release seems to only raise further questions, writes Louis Chilton

A year ago, eyebrows were raised when it was announced that Amazon was paying $40m (then roughly £32m) for the rights to Melania, a documentary about US first lady Melania Trump. The price was said to constitute the highest-ever fee for a documentary film; a further $35m (£26m) has reportedly been spent promoting the movie, which is released in cinemas this week. A screening at the White House on Saturday was attended by the president and first lady, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Mike Tyson, and the Queen of Jordan, among others. Away from the president’s circle, however, the film has provoked more consternation.

Melania was shot in the three weeks leading up to the second Trump inauguration, and purports to offer rare insider access to the often inscrutable first lady while she makes arrangements for the president’s transition to power. Melania described the film to Fox News as a “private, unfiltered look as I navigate family, business, and philanthropy on my remarkable journey to becoming first lady”. The trailer gives away little of the film’s substance, but showcases its gloss: Melania’s hats, coats, sunglasses, and clothing ensembles. There’s a close-up shot of her expensive-looking boots. Marc Beckman, Melania’s outside adviser and agent, has claimed that the film is “not political at all” – but it’s already being dismissed as propaganda by some online critics.

At a glance, the appeal of the film is obvious: a demystifying of one of the most opaque figures in contemporary politics. Ever since Trump first rose to power nearly a decade ago, Melania has remained largely an enigma. Outside the rote biographical facts of her life – that she was born in the former Yugoslavia; that she became a model at 16, moving to Paris and then New York in her twenties; that she met Trump, 24 years her senior, in 1998, at the age of 28 – little is known about her as a person or about the true dynamics of her marriage.

Is she the power behind the power? Nobody really knows. Ever since Trump first assumed office, people have speculated over the extent of her influence in her husband’s politics, poring over public appearances for abstract tells: the way she holds her husband’s hand, or the timing of a discrete sideways glance. Her clothing, too, which sometimes actively invites scrutiny: recall the inexpensive jacket she wore while visiting a migrant child detention centre with “I Really Don’t Care, Do U?” written on the back. (She later claimed the message was directed at “the media’s false narratives” and unrelated to her visit.)

Melania Trump in her new documentary ‘Melania’, which comes amid a particularly problematic time for her husband (Muse Films)

Various conspiracy theories have gained traction online in recent years, ranging from the plausible but unsubstantiated (that she and Donald enjoy a difficult marriage, strained by personal and political disagreements) to the head-scratchingly far-fetched (that she had died and was replaced by a body double). Melania, as such, promises to shed fresh light on Melania’s true personhood – though whether it will is another matter.

When news of Amazon’s Melania deal first broke, it was framed by some analysts as an attempt by Amazon owner Jeff Bezos to curry favour with the Trump administration. Speaking aboard Air Force One earlier this month, the president described the film as “incredible”, noting: “It seems to be captivating a lot of people’s attention.”

This last sentiment is true to some extent, though projections suggest that Melania is unlikely to convert this attention to ticket sales. Tim Richards, CEO of the cinema chain Vue, has described sales in the UK as being “soft”, telling The Telegraph that the biggest response has been complaints over the decision to screen it in the first place.

It won’t help that the film comes amid a particularly problematic time for Trump, whose two terms have been marked by a run of scandals and heavy criticism from those outside his supporter base. This month, he has faced particular condemnation over his aggressive stance on Greenland and his response to multiple separate killings by ICE officers. The US is in turmoil, and his administration’s popularity, even among Trump voters, is waning.

Even the film’s premiere situates itself in the heart of recent controversy: Melania will debut officially at Washington DC’s Kennedy Center, the contentious renaming of which (to The Donald J Trump and The John F Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts) prompted significant backlash last year.

ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

Another point of controversy concerns the film’s director: Melania is directed by Brett Ratner, who rose to fame through the Jackie Chan-Chris Tucker action franchise Rush Hour. Ratner has not directed a film since 2014’s Hercules, after being accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women in 2017, claims that included one allegation of rape. At the time, Ratner categorically denied all allegations and filed a lawsuit against accuser Melanie Kohler, which was dropped the following year. Following the allegations, Ratner parted ways with Warner Bros, the studio for which he had long made his films. Melania comes amid reports that Ratner could return for the forthcoming Rush Hour 4, a film that Paramount are said to be devising at the behest of Trump.

Melania’s prospects at this weekend’s box office – or in the coming weeks, when it releases on Amazon’s Prime Video streaming service – are ultimately rather moot. For the Trump administration, the film offers a sliver of credibility: a rare sympathetic ear in an industry that skews hostile. And it’s just the start: Melania will be followed up with a three-part docuseries released on the streamer. For the foreseeable, it seems that Amazon is in the Melania business. Whether that business booms or busts remains to be seen.