‘The Moment’ Review: A Messy Goodbye to a Career-Defining Era

Has Charli xcx finally closed the door on Brat? In summer 2024, dance pop artist Charli xcx released her most critically and commercially successful album to date. Instead of a typical tour documentary to close this chapter, xcx has released a mockumentary diving into the psyche of an artist at their peak. The Moment follows Charli, as she heads off on her first headlining arena tour for Brat. She is trying to stick to her own creative vision, but with corporate intervention and mainstream tour directors pushing her the other way, she is left to decide how she wants this chapter to end. The film is filled with flashy editing, notable celebrity cameos, and at the center a vulnerable unraveling of an artist needing to move forward. Read our full review for The Moment below. 

The Moment is a very intriguing film. On its surface, it is a comedic mockumentary satirizing artist culture, the idea of a pop star, and the importance of artistic vision. Though I would say the film was better when it was playing with the ideas of being an artist than trying to be funny. There are some uncomfortable moments due to the film trying to be funny with little success. The Brat Card gets old quickly, the jokes at the disposal of Charli’s primarily queer fan base grow tiring, and Alexander Skarsgård’s turn as the comedic relief villain is admirable but not perfect. The Moment shines when it is focusing on Charli and how she is feeling. This film is interesting due to Charli and the aspects of her that make her an interesting pop star. What was extremely notable was the use of close ups, really letting the audience hone in on how she feels. It is also commendable of Charli to depict herself in sort of a negative light, she is rude to people, juxtaposed with the artificial beauty of Kylie Jenner, and not afraid to be honest about aspects of who this version of her is. It was refreshing to see a modern pop star be so vulnerable, in a time when everything feels so curated. 

I was on The Moment’s wavelength for the most part, until the end. Deeply disappointing on a thematic level and more of a personal revelation than an ending to a film. The Moment is asking questions related to what it means to be an artist at your peak and having to close that chapter. This film is probably the last hurrah when it comes to Brat, so for it to end with Charli giving into the commercialized version of this album and acting like a mainstream pop star, feels more like an act of submission than choosing herself. The film tries to rationalize this, via a monologue delivered by Charli about how doing this version of the show is something she has to do to finally kill the album cycle. I understand what they were going for here. The idea of needing to detach yourself so much from something you made in order to let it go, but for an artist like Charli xcx who has been celebrated only when she feeds into counterculture, to have a movie ending like that makes no sense. This was not satisfying to me in any way, shape, or form. It felt too detached from reality and broke the mockumentary style completely. The ending truly reduced the film extremely in my eyes, which is incredibly disappointing. 

A moment is not a lifetime, this film understands the importance of having to let things go. Yet, it is not perfect, the film has so many intriguing layers that make it worth a watch. I have found myself more perplexed by this film than I thought I would be. It is extremely interesting in theory, but the content of The Moment is not life changing. Though I may have my issues with this and it may not stick the landing, it still gave me enough to digest to make me believe this merits existence. 

The Moment is directed by Aidan Zamiri and stars Charli xcx, Alexander Skarsgård, Rosanna Arquette, Rachel Sennott, and Kylie Jenner. The film was released on February 6. 

Thanks for reading this The Moment review. For more reviews and Charli xcx content, stay tuned here at Feature First.