Charli XCX plays a version of herself in a mockumentary as shallow as the pop star’s persona purports to be.

by MILLIE RITCHIE

The Moment opens on a dizzying TikTok fan edit-esque montage, racing through the immense, lime green, pop culture-shaking success of Brat – Charli XCX’s sixth album. It’s after this bombardment that we’re introduced to the filmic version of the pop star played by Charli herself.

It’s the aftermath of ‘Brat Summer’, and her label is desperate to “keep this brat thing going” by any means possible, although no one seems to know or particularly care how. Charli is presented as a hermetically sealed, ennui-laden figure, who’s spirited from car to stage to rehearsal to hotel without touching the sides. The world she inhabits is encased in glass, with Charli’s view shaded by the near-constant addition of black sunglasses through which she’s forever looking at screens when not being projected onto them. Coupled with the W1A-style corporate jargon spouted by her team – a bunch of hangers-on who are apparently unable to listen to their client or utter anything of value – a suffocating and alienating environment surrounds her. This detachment is exemplified in a particularly witty sequence in which Charli films a supposedly authentic ‘What’s in my Bag?’ video for Vogue while clearly not knowing the contents of the bag she supposedly owns. Her entirety is whittled down to her image – an image that’s suddenly become big business.

It’s a tongue-in-cheek look into how much effort goes into looking like you don’t give a fuck – admirable from an artist whose brand leans heavily into this. A large portion of the film’s best moments are sparked by this tension, culminating in a fantastic shot of her hunched over her phone mid-breakdown as its light bathes her face in the same sickly hue that made her famous.

I wish more had been done with this theme. As it stands, the film really suffers from its lack of depth. When the main thrust of the narrative moves away from the depressing realities of finally achieving your dreams to a “corporate control vs authenticity struggle”, it begins to lose its way. This is mainly due to the lack of any rich personal identity displayed by Charli. The authentic brand she’s trying to protect seems to amount to “being cool” in opposition to the Coldplay-lite envisionings of the deeply suspect Johannes (Alexander Skarsgård hidden behind some dayglo veneers). When the stakes are this low you begin to wonder why you’re being asked to care.

Still, if you enjoy celebrities poking fun at themselves, there’s lots of fun to be had here. I must admit to finding Kylie Jenner’s cameo, breezily complaining about how busy she’s been while Charli looks close to falling off a cliff, very entertaining. Similarly, punchy lines such as “what’s metaphorical cocaine?” will stay with me, even if only for The Moment.

Cast: Charli XCX, Rosanna Arquette, Kate Berlant, Jamie Demetriou, Hailey Benton Gates, Isaac Powell, Alexander Skarsgård Rish Shah, Trew Mullen, Kylie Jenner, Rachel Sennott, Arielle Dombasle, Mel Ottenberg, Julia Fox, Shygirl, Anthony Fantano.

Dir Aidan Zamiri, Pro Charli XCX and David Hinojosa, Screenplay Aidan Zamiri and Bertie Brandes, from a story by Charli XCX, Ph Sean Price Williams, Pro Des Francesca Di Mottola, Ed Bill Sneddon and Neal Farmer, Music A.G. Cook, Costumes Taylor Mitchell, Sound Glen Gathard.

2AM/Studio365/Good World-Universal Studios.
102 mins. UK/USA. 2026. US Rel: 6 February 2026. UK Rel: 20 February 2026. Cert. 15.

The Moment

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