I hadn’t planned to see the film Melania at a cinema. I am neither a huge fan nor one with antipathy towards FLOTUS. However, the degree of denigration and contempt directed towards Melania Trump over the years I’ve found misogynistic, unbalanced, and completely out of proportion to that of any First Lady in my lifetime- including Nancy Reagan.
Since COVID, we’ve been to a cinema on average once annually. We had planned to drive to NYC on Friday to spend the weekend visiting the JP Morgan Library, the Tenement Museum, and to attend a party in Brooklyn on Saturday evening. The bone chilling projected temperatures caused us to scuttle our plans.
Thursday, I reached out to a friend who has been experiencing some personal challenge to check in. She invited me to join her and others for dinner and a screening of Melania Friday evening. Why not? As my husband said, I needed to be ‘aired out’. I accepted the invite and am happy I did so.
The near unanimous snarky reviews by critics who regularly deride the former and current POTUS and FLOTUS encouraged rather than discouraged me to watch the film in a theater. Our group went to a cinema in Leesburg, Virginia that was quite full.
This documentary focuses on the twenty days leading up to the Inauguration of President Trump and afforded ‘we the people’ a look behind the curtain at the details involved in preparing for the transition between presidential administrations.
Critics focused almost exclusively on Melania’s shoe collection and the designing of her inaugural wardrobe. But, it was much more of an insight into the eye for details in preparing for a donation dinner at the Building Museum, how she would present herself to the world on Inauguration Day, the warmth she projected to those working with her, the security concerns regarding the safety of her husband and family, and her commitment to children’s issues which she shares with Brigitte Macron and Queen Rania of Jordan.
It is evident that Melania Trump guards her privacy. From the time of Martha Washington, the spouse of the American president has been thrust into living in a fishbowl. No First Lady during my lifetime has been subjected to the criticism, cruelty, contempt, misrepresentation and outright hatred as has Melania Trump. Her clothes, her image, her reticence, her sphinx like attitude are her armor.
After seeing this film, I am more impressed by Melania’s determination to thrive among the nest of vipers that make assumptions and cast aspersions based upon Trump Derangement Syndrome.
I, for one, hope Melania Trump gets the last laugh.
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