The Moment Review: Charli XCX’s Mockumentary is an Unmitigated Disaster

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Charli XCX’s new film, The Moment, doesn’t quite live up to the hype. While it was promoted as a behind-the-scenes look at her Brat Tour, it’s actually a strange and ambitious mockumentary. It’s unlike anything she’s done before, and falls far short of expectations. The film, which features only a brief snippet of Bittersweet Symphony, feels like a mix of the mockumentary This is Spinal Tap and the anxiety-inducing Uncut Gems. Charli plays a detached version of herself, struggling with the pressures of branding and staying true to her artistic vision, ultimately reaching a breaking point.

Simply put, this film doesn’t work at all – it’s a complete failure. It’s incredibly presumptuous to create a movie with no real tension or consequences, and it comes across as either shockingly arrogant or completely disconnected from what audiences want. While director Aidan Zamiri has a strong background in music videos and commercials, he clearly struggles with the demands of storytelling. I don’t think this is a promising beginning.

The Moment is a Total Misfire on Nearly Every Level

Honestly, “The Moment” just didn’t do it for me. It felt aimless and, frankly, boring. The film tries to give us some insight into Charli XCX, but it completely misses the mark. What bothered me most was how flat the whole thing was until, out of nowhere, they show her having a meltdown because a facialist wouldn’t serve her at a resort in Ibiza. It felt so random and jarring – that’s when the movie finally had some energy, but in a really strange way.

From what I gather, The Moment is a film centered around Charli XCX’s fear of seeming embarrassing or out of touch. Essentially, it shows Charli, as a fictionalized version of herself, feeling drained by the constant demands of her career – from companies and her label to fans and management – but also seeming largely indifferent. The film depicts her Brat Tour as a burden, and her main desire is to simply get away from it all.

The record label has profited greatly from Brat, so they try to extend her popularity indefinitely. They decide to collaborate with Johannes (Alexander Skarsgård), a concert director from South Africa who pretends to be progressive but is secretly deeply misogynistic – a fact that’s painfully obvious. Skarsgård plays the character as an over-the-top, irritating buffoon, almost unbelievably so.

Charli doesn’t fully trust Johannes, but she’s hesitant to fire him, possibly due to outside pressure. Her friend Celeste, the concert director (played by Hailey Benton Gates), is trying to keep things grounded and seems to understand what the artist wants, but her voice is lost in the chaos. The main conflict revolves around Celeste and Johannes competing for Charli’s attention, though their arguments about the music itself aren’t compelling or believable.

While getting ready for her major performance, she unexpectedly finds herself involved in a humorous, yet cynical, deal with a bank. They’re trying to promote a new credit card aimed at young LGBTQ+ people. The initial premise is amusing, but the story takes a strange turn – it first presents the partnership’s consequences as a disaster, then quickly dismisses them as unimportant.

Most of the scenes in The Moment are made up on the spot by actors unfamiliar with improvisation. The few who are experienced play minor roles. Kate Berlant is a standout in her brief appearance as Charli’s hair and makeup artist, and Richard Perez delivers some funny lines while playing the assistant to Tammy (Rosanna Arquette), the record label executive. Rachel Sennott essentially reprises her role from I Love L.A. in a single scene. Jamie Demetriou, known for his brilliant British comedy Stath Lets Flats, doesn’t have much opportunity to showcase his humor as Charli’s anxious manager, Tim.

The film struggles to find its footing, unsure if it wants to be lighthearted or a deep look into Charli’s experiences. It’s commendable that Charli doesn’t shy away from showing her vulnerable side, honestly portraying how overwhelmed she feels by her rapid fame, the pressure to stay authentic, and the financial expectations placed upon her. However, it doesn’t quite succeed as either a comedy or a serious, dramatic story.

The film ultimately feels self-indulgent and chaotic. The director’s approach is a disaster, leaving the movie awkwardly positioned between satirizing the world Charli D’Amelio helped build and genuinely trying to reveal the person behind the online persona. Unfortunately, it fails at both. It’s understandable that someone famous might be terrified of being perceived as embarrassing, but it feels presumptuous to expect anyone to connect with such a trivial concern. However, if Charli genuinely wants to dismantle the “brat” image, she’s certainly succeeded.

The Moment screened at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.

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2026-01-24 14:28