Experience “Melania”

Experience “Melania”

by Don Polson

After seeing well over 10,000 movies of every sort and genre, and having the critical eye and sense to analyze every aspect of any one of them, I recommend going to see Melania Trump’s self-titled autobiographical documentary, “Melania,” but only if you bring an open mind and warm heart.

There are no political or policy messages to be found; no wading into issues of national or international import; and none of the now-customary Trump-ian stump speech-ifying. Instead, the viewer is treated, and I use the word advisedly, to the minute-by-minute subdued-but-focused activities of a president’s wife, and a mom, and arranger and organizer of a vast White House operation.

You become more than an observer as this is not a bland, objective documentary as seen on public channels. You walk away feeling as if you’ve been the proverbial fly-on-the-wall to a life that can only be imagined—a world that is both elite and approachable. You can almost put yourself in the shoes of the intense security personnel, or the maids and hotel staff, or the wardrobe people.

Now, I’ll admit, being a guy, that the initial segment having to do with the minutia of gowns, robes and clothing was a bit over-long; however, once the narrative assumed the pace of the inner workings of the campaign and transition to being First Lady, it was, to this movie cynic, a fascinating and immersive experience.

A necessary few words about what movie-going used to be like in the early 80s in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. A local Woodland Hills theater had “dollar night,” when you could see the movies that had been full-price ($4) only weeks before, for a fraction of a current cup of coffee. A family could buy tickets, popcorn and beverages for no more than the cost of the two tickets I bought online for the Regal Theaters in Bend, Oregon—almost $29. I did, however, get to select our seat in one of the biggest screen-to-theater ratios I’ve ever seen. They did refill the $10 bucket of popcorn ($1.50 back then), so we munched on it after skiing on Saturday.

Don Polson