As a Charli XCX fan (one of Charli’s Angels of six years), I was very excited when I first saw her tease “The Moment” on Instagram. I followed the film from its production stage, and now that it’s finally here, it left me speechless.
The film marks the directorial debut of Aidan Zamiri. Zamiri is known for his photography and for directing music videos for artists such as FKA Twigs, Caroline Polachek and Charli XCX, including Charli XCX’s videos for “360,” “Guess featuring Billie Eilish,” and for “Residue,” a track on the film’s score produced by longtime Charli XCX collaborator A.G. Cook.
“The Moment” is a mockumentary distributed by A24 about Charli XCX dealing with the pressures of rapid fame following the mainstream success of her album “brat” while preparing for her tour. The film satirizes and comments on how the music industry pressures artists to extend the longevity of their work as long as they can.
This film blew my mind from the start. Its intro, one of the most memorable sequences, pulls viewers into a club-like atmosphere, recapping the immense success of “brat” throughout 2024, almost reliving “brat summer.” After this high-energy opening, audiences are immediately hit with Charli’s reality as an artist.
As the film continues, it starts to feel more anxiety-inducing when actor Alexander Skarsgård’s character, Johannes, attempts to control Charli’s creative ideas for her tour. Skarsgård delivers a perfect performance as a director hired by the music industry to oversee Charli’s tour film.
I was very moved by Charli’s performance. Playing a stylized, fictionalized version of herself, she is both believable and shows off a raw talent that blew me away.
Some moments I felt that she was feeling the emotions she was portraying in some scenes, especially the most vulnerable ones, which I found to be one of the biggest standouts throughout the film.
Aside from Charli and Skarsgård’s performances, I was also surprised by Kylie Jenner’s cameo in the film, with her scene being one of the most integral and most important parts of the entire film. I found other standouts in the film to be Rachel Sennott, Jamie Demetriou and Rosanna Arquette, all delivering funny and suspenseful moments that made their performances memorable.
The film’s plot is straightforward, but fans of Charli XCX will understand more than someone who knows Charli’s music on a surface level. Those familiar with her entire music career know how long it took to get her to where she is now today and how the film stems from her insecurities about sustaining her success after “brat.”
University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) senior, Amaris Espinoza, a fan of Charli XCX for over 12 years, agrees.
“I think ‘The Moment’ was truly for longtime Charli XCX fans. I think it was kind of poking fun at the new kind of brat summer audience that she kind of pulled in,” Espinoza said. “I really loved it. It was so good.”
Even so, I feel like as long as you were truly there for the “brat summer” hype, you’d be able to understand what Charli wants audiences to take away from this film.
UTEP junior Diana Villegas, a casual fan of Charli’s, also enjoyed the film and its theme.
“Personally, I’ve really enjoyed some of her old songs that she had before her brat album came out,” Villegas said. “One of the things that I enjoyed the most was that the movie felt very raw. I think all of her fans should definitely watch her movie.”
I genuinely think this film is one that will maintain a following over time. While it has received mixed reviews by critics, I think that’s very “brat” for this film. It’s definitely one that viewers have to experience to be able to truly understand. Brat Summer forever!
“The Moment” is now available to rent or buy on video on demand.
Rating: 4/5
Aziel Ramos is a contributor and may be reached at [email protected]
