Donald and Melania Trump’s marriage has surprisingly been a topic of heavy criticism. The scrutiny has increased manifold since the President’s return to the White House for his second term. In fact, it has evidently led many to believe that the couple shy away from showing their real dynamics on-camera, and it’s merely a staged public image.
Now, with the recent release of the First Lady’s documentary film titled Melania: 20 Days to History, viewers could not help but notice a handful of instances that suggest otherwise.
For starters, the movie has already received a disastrous response from audiences. The $75 million project, backed by Amazon, has extremely underwhelming box office numbers. Shockingly, different review platforms, including Rotten Tomatoes, have flashed one-star ratings to the film. Amid all the negative responses, viewers have witnessed some rare insights into Melania and Donald’s marriage, which seem to be genuine.
A documentary about US First Lady Melania Trump has been withdrawn from South African cinemas just days before its planned release. Major cinema chains, including Ster‑Kinekor and Nu Metro, removed the film. pic.twitter.com/CZURMGyx8j
— Southern Cross Report (@SoCrossReport) February 2, 2026
Well, after watching the film, one of the commenters, Kathleen Stock, was prompted to share how Trump and his wife have a very different way of communicating with each other. She expressed her point of view on UnHerd and wrote, “Conversations with her husband are generally stilted. The pair talk politely but distantly, as if they haven’t met for months – which may well be true. But equally, perhaps they always talked to each other like this.”
Meanwhile, a behavioral analyst shared some more observations about Melania Trump as seen in the documentary film. Shelly Dar mentioned that the 55-year-old has a significant shift in her body language the minute her husband is around, according to the Irish Star. While many deduce it as a sign of sadness or weakness, it actually reflects her ability to show restraint.
Melania Trump documentary shocks at the box office https via @@Yahoo if mgm are speaking the truth they are still in the red they have spent almost $100 million US they a long way from getting just even let alone profit & everyone who worked on it said do not put my name on film
— Bernadette Sassen (@bernadette_59) February 2, 2026
She added, “Her public presence is controlled, neutral and very deliberate. And as First Lady, that restraint tightens because the pressure is enormous and the cost of mistakes is high. When she’s next to her husband, her body language tightens. There’s less movement, less expression and more neutrality. That doesn’t suggest emotional openness; it suggests role management.”
Critics and other viewers have also noted that the supposed candid moments seem to be calculated enough. Thus, it did end up leaving a shadowy imprint on the enigmatic marriage that the world sees from the outside.
Specific scenes, like Trump’s jokes at Melania’s expense hinted at some tension between the two. Moreover, a slight moment where the First Lady tries to carefully put her hand around her husband’s waist also seems to dispel any intimacy or warmth between them.
Trump bullied his maga donors into buying a lot of tickets for Melania’s movie, this doesn’t prove they actually saw her documentary. Melania’ blows past box office expectations despite criticism, poor reviews https://t.co/soziNgPEKg via @nbcnews
— Cindy Gossett (@gossett509) February 2, 2026
On the other hand, the shocking response to the First Lady’s ambitious project has grabbed eyeballs as well. Celebrity PR expert Kayley Cornelius spoke for The Press Box PR and underlined that there had been a major error in the distribution approach of the film itself.
It turns out that they had misjudged both the platform and the audience. Kayley explained that a project with this type of content shouldn’t have been a cinema exclusive in the first place. The movie appears to show audiences only what Melania Trump meticulously wants to reveal.
There are only slight moments of her vulnerability and ambition that the film shows. But the movie did not divulge any juicy information, scandalous truths or controversy, something which would otherwise be intriguing for the audience to watch.
