Charli XCX hits the big green screen in her first starring role in The Moment. The A24 flick is all in to burn brat summer to the ground. The Moment is a mockumentary vibing This is Spinal Tap, Vox Lux, and any endeavor where celebrities play exaggerated versions of themselves. Does it work as brilliantly as Charli’s seminal album brat? No, but that’s kind of the point.
A rising pop star navigates the complexities of fame and industry pressure while preparing for her arena tour debut. Set in the weeks leading up to the tour being filmed for Amazon in Poland, music video director Aidan Zamiri keeps to a fly-on-the-wall (or, in this case, pigeon) approach, complete with jump cuts, shaky cam, and lots of strobe lights. The film posits if an artist, PR agents, and a label can let something cool die gracefully. The answer is no… they can’t. Not even Charli, who’s sick of everything being labeled brat.
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As a fan of Charli (or an “angel,” as in, well, you get it), it’s interesting to compare A24’s spectacle with the low-key aesthetics of the real doc she made during lockdown, Alone Together (2021). Suppose one was interested in the actual process of hyperpop’s biggest star’s creative process, that’s the one to watch. However, as a very funny and, at times, heartfelt showcase for Charli, The Moment is the way to go. In many ways, the two films explore the same issues: what makes art cool, memorable, or, as Charli might say, whatever.
Alone Together was shot during lockdown, with the singer reaching out to Charli’s Angels via social media to help her make a full-length album in just six weeks in April of 2020. That the album is actually pretty good (“Pink Diamond” is a banger of an opener) is beside the point. The doc is more interested in the creative process and the innate bond between an artist and her fans.
Conversely, to the shock of no one, The Moment shows how the absolute worst thing that can happen to a, um, moment, is corporate interference. The goal of Charli’s record label’s boss (a fun cold turn by Rosanna Arquette) is to keep the party, the money, the headlines going indefinitely. The truth is, brat summer was never going to run for decades like Cats. The more brat is made consumer-friendly, the blander, worse things look and sound, literally.
One wishes the celeb cameos were more than just that, but Rachel Sennott, who was in the music video 360, still makes the most of a trip to the restroom. Kylie Jenner’s cameo is less impressive but not at all a train wreck.
The plot of the film follows Charli and her creative director, Celeste (Hailey Benton Gates), as they deal with concert director Johannes (Alexander Skarsgård), who’s been hired to shoot the show for Amazon. Gender politics and generational differences collide. Skarsgård does a pretty spot-on portrayal of a “nice guy”. His physical presence alone – a tall 6’4” compared to Charli’s 5’3” – is intimidating onscreen. Underneath, though, even more impressive is just how well the Swedish actor embodies the kind of person who kills with kindness and can’t stop pushing their own agenda.
One scene highlights what a red flag Johannes would be for the tour. He’s a guy who’s been successful delivering family-friendly stadium-sized applause at a Coldplay show. With respect to Coldplay, they are as far from brat as spelling brat with a capital ‘B’. Whereas Celeste wants to keep the integrity of brat feeling like an all-night rave with constant strobe lights, Johannes would rather use the less-stress-inducing light bracelets. But again, that stress and (eventual) release is a huge part of Charli’s show. Dude just doesn’t get it.
Props to costume designer/stylist Taylor McNeill, whose mainstream take on brat attire is hilariously terrible. Charli, not afraid to look uncool, sports mostly tone-deaf outfits: like if the GenZ star was wardrobed in Atlantic City frocks. Later, when she’s singing “I Might Say Something Stupid“ while suspended 30 feet in the air, the cringe factor is off the charts.
Ultimately, though, on the debit side, the script Zamir and Bertie Brandes doesn’t know what to do with all these creative balls in the air. For her part, Charli does a commendable job, but the messaging feels too thin in the last act. It’s not a huge deal, as The Moment is filled with a plethora of observations on how disorienting it can be to realize how one’s life (even a pop star’s) can be reshaped, especially when it isn’t what’s expected. In 2025, brat summer had to die so Charli XCX could morph into something new.
The Moment opens in select theaters on January 30, 2026.
