In the summer of 2024, it seemed impossible to escape the neon slime colors and lowercase text of Charli XCX’s sixth studio album, Brat. With this film about the never-ending party season, directors Charlie and Aidan Zamiri took a much different approach than traditional concert films, showing behind-the-scenes snippets of touring life and the rehearsals leading up to the big show in front of waves of screaming fans. “The Moment” is something different, veering heavily into the mockumentary genre that satirizes the pressures of pop stardom and the struggle for creative control. Things don’t always go well, but Charlie xcx throws a wild party as usual.
Following an exaggerated version of Starr himself, Zamiri’s “The Moment” begins with a bang. Charlie XCX dances in strobe lights that change from green to blue to red, ending with a flashing light warning. In September 2024, a few months into the new Brat era, the party atmosphere subsides as Charlie catches his breath. Then it’s off to London, followed by a video shoot for British Vogue, a quick Zoom call to hail a limousine, and finally back to the party for a much-needed stress break. Being famous is hard. The hurricane that strikes Charlie becomes more destructive as her plans for a concert film disrupt her creative process and her relationship with her creative director. As her label (led by Rosanna Arquette), her manager, and now a very arbitrary and condescending director (Alexander Skarsgård) try to dictate how best to keep Brat Summer going forever, Charli
To her credit, charli xcx throws herself into the role, playing the role of a whiny pop star trying to stay cool despite all the outside forces interfering with her vision. She is a wild card in her own right, changing gears at a moment’s notice and leaving the team scrambling to accommodate new missions. At times, she can be disgustingly selfish, but this too could be a satirical world version of Charlie, standing in for similar stars struggling to figure out their next move after pouring their energy into a hit album. Based on Charlie’s ideas and experiences and expanded upon by co-writers Zamiri and Bertie Brandes, “The Moment” may lack concert footage, but it’s packed with jokes about the industry, including a very clever subplot about a Brat-branded credit card that gets Charlie into trouble, and a never-ending series of ads and commercials featuring stars hawking everything from skin care to wine.
In the current state of celebrity culture, it seems like an inevitable part of the machine, along with late-night talk show breaks and long hours in the makeup chair. Numerous cameos, including Kate Berlant, Kylie Jenner, and Rachel Sennott, who delivers the withering line, “Are you acting like Joaquin Phoenix?” further enhance the film’s reckless spirit. In fact, The Moment has a bit of Casey Affleck’s I’m Still Here in its DNA, as well as a little bit of This Is Spinal Tap, with its questionable stage props, and Howard Stern’s Private Parts, a fictionalized suit fight with plenty of irreverent humor.
Zamiri, who previously collaborated with charli Instead, the film takes a faux-cinematic approach, watching events unfold when the film crew is and isn’t there. With so much going on, “The Moment” loses momentum along the way, meandering between interpersonal skirmishes like the quick editing and uninspired “The Thick of It.” The party spirit will never fully regain its dynamic presence.
Despite the confusing second half, it’s entertaining to watch Charlie skewer his own public persona, celebrity culture, and its corporate package, poking fun at how money-driven executives and other creative forces shape the way we view our favorite performers. “Brat Summer” had a vibe until it didn’t. “The Moment” is the beginning of the end of an era by charlie xcx and a farewell gift to the final Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
This review was submitted from the world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival. It will open on January 30, 2026.
