the documentary on Donald Trump’s wife sold as a Hollywood blockbuster – Libération

“Sensational teaser”, « tantalizing trailer»… In the press, there is no shortage of superlatives to describe the first images of the documentary on the First Lady, soberly named Melania, the Filmbroadcast Wednesday December 17. We discover Donald Trump’s wife during the inauguration of his second term, between sequences of daily life and social banquets. “Here we go again”she exclaims in front of the camera, in this trailer that looks like a Hollywood blockbuster.

The project is due to be released in cinemas on January 30 and will immediately be available on the Amazon Prime Video streaming platform. A choice far from trivial because behind what is presented as “an intimate look” on his journey “exceptional” of First Lady, the behind-the-scenes production of the documentary is, unsurprisingly, part of a Trumpist logic.

If Melania Trump is the executive producer of the film, which she had “editorial control” according to the BBC, the documentary is also an Amazon Prime Video production, a subsidiary of the group founded by billionaire Jeff Bezos. The latter is one of the largest contributors, in his personal name and that of his company, to the fund for the inauguration of Donald Trump, with an endowment of one million euros. The inauguration ceremony of the American president was also broadcast live on the Prime Video platform.

A way for Jeff Bezos to definitively bury the hatchet with Donald Trump. The latter had widely criticized him during part of his first term, accusing him of using Washington Postbought by the billionaire in 2013, to attack his presidency. The rights of Melania, the Filmwere acquired for $40 million by Amazon, another transaction in the Bezos-Trump history.

To pilot the project, Melania Trump and Amazon notably called on a Hollywood figure, who fell from grace during the Me Too moment: director Brett Ratner, who directed the saga Rush Hour et X-Men: The Last Stand. At the end of 2017, he was accused of harassment and sexual assault by six women including actresses, notably Natasha Henstridge, the “mutant” of the X-Men.

Although none of these cases resulted in legal action, Melania, the Film is Ratner’s first project since the accusations against him became public. During an interview with ABC in 2018, Melania Trump indicated her support for the Me Too movement, while recalling that it “needed proof” to accuse someone.

Amazon Prime Video has not yet revealed whether the project will be based on Melania, the autobiography of the First Lady, published at the end of 2024. In 250 pages, she recounted her daily life as the president’s wife and gave pride of place to the movement «Trad Wife». «My priority has always been to ensure his well-being, taking care of all aspects of his life.», she wrote. It remains to be seen whether the documentary will remain on this line, or whether it will take on a more political dimension, at a time when several observers are noticing a metamorphosis in Melania Trump’s strategy.

Perceived as in the background during her husband’s first term, from 2017 to 2021, the one who was elected “Patriot of the Year», on November 6, during the Fox Nation Patriot Awards 2025 now seems more present and more in control of its image. This is evidenced by the great ambitions displayed on the American channel Fox News by the First Lady for her documentary, in January 2025: “Given the historical importance of the subject, it was imperative for me to produce a film of impeccable cinematic quality, intended exclusively for cinemas around the world.»