As “Melania” opens on more than 1,500 screens, it arrives less like a quiet political portrait and more like a stress test for American institutions. The film promises intimacy: hotel-room calls with Donald, late-night strategy sessions, a woman navigating the final stretch before a second inauguration. Yet that access comes at the price that rattles documentarians most — Melania herself is an executive producer, with clear creative control over how she is seen.

Behind the scenes, the numbers tell their own story. Amazon’s $40 million acquisition and $35 million marketing push dwarf typical documentary economics, prompting accusations of influence-buying from veterans who once helped build the studio. Inside Amazon, some staff reportedly bristled but were told the project was non-negotiable. And still, advance tracking suggests a modest box office at best. Whether “Melania” becomes a cultural touchstone or a cautionary tale, it has already done one thing: forced everyone to ask what, and whom, a “true story” now serves.