‘The Moment’ Review

By Nadia Dalimonte

Charli xcx in The Moment

Following the green-coated cultural phenomenon of Brat Summer, which took 2024 summer by storm, pop star Charli xcx is having another moment. She created the soundtrack album for Emerald Fennel’s hotly anticipated Wuthering Heights adaptation, which releases in theatres on February 13. Pete Ohs’ sapphic romance, Erupcja, which had its world premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival and is led by a wonderful Charli performance, will be released in theatres later this year.  But first, a mockumentary-style film that captures the Brat era, focusing on how the musician felt when her Brat album dominated pop culture. The Moment, from writer-director Aidan Zamiri and co-writer Bertie Brandes, morphs an original idea by Charli xcx into an absurd journey into fame, excess, and artistic integrity. Most impressively, the creative team distinguishes The Moment as a singular depiction of a pop star and avoids the trappings of a typical starry concert film. Whether you are familiar with Charli’s music or not, there is something incredibly intoxicating about how the film runs on pure emotion. While the satire doesn’t always bite, the story speaks effectively to losing sight of oneself in a dizzying celebrity machine. The Moment peels back the layers of a woman under the influence of capitalism to reach an introspective party girl at the core.

The flashy opening scenes of The Moment set an authentic precedent for what the film has in store: an up-close and personal sense of what it’s like to be Charli xcx. Charli is introduced in her element of pure artistic expression and escapism. She appears completely present in the moment. It’s when other voices chime in that the artist’s decisions on how to present herself become the subject of scrutiny, capitalization, and chaos. The Moment revolves around Charli, playing an exaggerated version of herself, in the lead up to her first arena tour. On the cusp of touring the world with Brat, Charli dissects the end of an era before it even begins. When the album cycle ends, does that mean Brat summer will be over forever? How can she keep it going? What does she want to do next? As Charli’s creative team throw ideas to the wall, she retreats from her celebrity.

The film excels at capturing how fans, labels, and brands interact with both Charli’s work and pop culture as a whole. There’s a rush to feel included in the momentum and have a say in what steps she ought to take for success. There’s an inclination from Charli’s team and show runners to be the “yes people” in her life and say what they think she wants to hear. Her manager, Tim (Jamie Demetriou) and social media manager  Lloyd (Isaac Powell) keep their fingers on the pulse and navigate an upcoming Brat credit card launch, which highlights how companies capitalized on her album color and font. There’s constant pressure from her record label executive, Tammy (Rosanna Arquette), who swirls in and out of the film like a tornado consuming content. Then there’s Johannes Godwin (a hilarious Alexander Skarsgård), an intense director-for-hire whose arrival on the Brat tour disrupts Charli’s flow. 
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Charli’s creative director and friend, Celeste (an excellent Hailey Benton Gates), cuts through the noise with the most grounded approach out of everyone. She understands Charli and brings a sense of clarity to the chaos, even when Charli herself doesn’t know what she wants. As Celeste struggles to hold onto creative control, Johannes dominates artistic choices for the show, and Charli takes an impulsive trip to Ibiza, the lifespan of Brat feels entirely out of reach. While in Ibiza, Charli runs into an ethereal Kylie Jenner (playing a heightened version of herself). The impeccable lighting on Kylie, juxtaposed with a discomforting angle on Charli, amplifies just how exhausted Charli feels being present in the moment. At the same time, it’s a pointed satire on pop culture and the responsibilities often placed on celebrities to lead their lives as role models for the masses.

To a culture that sells fairytales with perfect lighting, The Moment works as a genius antithesis. By taking the concert documentary form and fictionalizing it, Charli successfully charts the ridiculousness of the music industry. By drawing self-deprecating humor from herself and exposing moments of vulnerability in her life, Charli effectively communicates how she sees the world. The entire film works as an inviting reflection of how she navigates fame and the music industry, and it builds towards a strong final act that sees her character face moral complexity. Additionally, Charli’s excellent performance resonates at the center. She brings compelling truthfulness to a heightened version of herself, and navigates peak levels of messy behavior to reach grounded moments. She also plays comedic moments brilliantly; part of the wry humor draws from simply watching her react to the most ridiculous scenarios. In a standout scene between her and Johannes, he suggests very questionable stage directions on how to engage with her audience. Charli and Skarsgård land on entertaining depictions of an astounding artistic disconnect.

Thankfully, Aidan Zamiri and Bertie Brandes are totally connected to Charli’s energy, moving in lockstep with her wavelength. The film has a fun, relentlessly chaotic energy as though you’re at a never-ending party. For every sequence that relies on the viewer already having a strong connection with Charli’s artistry, there is one that also challenges the viewer’s perception of her public image and invites you to be curious. The film stands out as a bittersweet symphony of how Charli relates to success, navigates artistic integrity, and connects with her own failings in the process. The journey is messy in focus, but it’s easy to admire how The Moment experiments with the documentary form to radiate something that feels singular and deeply authentic to its subject.

The Moment is now playing in theatres.