Audiences will feel uplifted by the new film "Melania," which debuted in theaters nationwide on January 29.
The film gives a behind-the-scenes look at Melania Trump’s experience in the 20 days leading up to her husband’s second inauguration.
It highlights the First Lady’s policy agenda, from helping secure the release of Israeli hostages to serving foster children to preventing cyberbullying and "sexploitation."
I attended a screening on Thursday night at the Trump-Kennedy Center in Washington, where Melania Trump took center stage to introduce the film as President Trump looked down from his presidential balcony box.
"Creating a film and launching a global marketing campaign is not [an] easy feat," Melania Trump said. "I’m fortunate to be surrounded by a visionary team.
"First, I would like to thank my husband, America’s director, Donald Trump. Thank you for providing our family with a life filled with experiences that only one could imagine."
The movie was financed by Amazon MGM Studios and reportedly cost $75 million to create — $40 million on film rights, plus $35 million on marketing.
"I authored the story you are about to experience with purpose: the charm of laughter, the tenderness of transparency, and the determination to break new ground," Melania Trump told us on Thursday.
The film is a work of art with incredible cinematography (including what appears to be drone shots of Mar-a-Lago), light, and sound.
That includes a poignant, eclectic soundtrack with a mix of Rolling Stones, '80s, and other pop tunes along with beautiful European classical music like "Air On G" by J.S. Bach and "Bolero" by French composer Maurice Ravel. And of course, there’s plenty of stunning fashion, especially stilettos.
The film showcases Melania Trump’s playful personality.
She’s singing car karaoke while driving the streets of New York.
She’s throwing her hands up dancing to the YMCA song after stepping down from the platform following their inaugural ball first dance.
In some ways, the film is almost an American fairy tale story on the immigrant journey achieving the American Dream.
As a young girl, Melania Trump rose from a modest upbringing in Sevnica, Slovenia, Voice of America reports, "where she grew up in Communist-era apartment blocks overlooking a river and ever-smoking factory chimneys."
Her modeling career began at age 16, leading her to travel Europe and learn to speak multiple languages, including English, German, French, and Italian.
She is strongly family-oriented, with considerable film screen time dedicated to memorializing her late mother, Amalija Knavs, whose one-year anniversary of her passing occurred on January 9, 2025.
The camera follows Melania Trump to light a candle inside St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, where Amalija frequently prayed.
Melania Trump described Amalija, a former pattern maker and fashion designer, as the "richest thread" in her life.
During President Trump’s first term, Melania Trump remained a full-time mother to their son Barron Trump, who was just 10 years old when his dad first took office in 2017.
Now that Barron is in college, Melania Trump is growing her voice and presence.
She recently appeared on a national television network calling for unity and de-escalation in the wake of the Minnesota immigration-related skirmishes.
Watching the film, I felt inspired to learn about Melania Trump’s journey, vision, and passion. Our First Lady embodies strength, grace, faith, love of country and family.
Melania Trump is an amazing role model for young women — and all Americans — to become the best version of themselves, as the name of her children' s program "Be Best" encourages.
Or as Melania Trump states in the film: "As First Lady, the real nobility is becoming stronger than the person I was yesterday."
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