Charli XCX Confronts Fame's Complexities in New Meta Mockumentary 'The Moment'
Pop superstar Charli XCX is delving deep into the intricate challenges of modern celebrity with her provocative new meta mockumentary, The Moment, which made its highly anticipated debut at the Sundance Film Festival. The Essex-born artist, 33, portrays a fictionalised version of herself in the A24-produced film, grappling with the overwhelming aftermath of her cultural phenomenon album Brat and the suffocating expectations that accompany global pop stardom.
From 'Brat Summer' to Existential Crisis
In an interview with The Associated Press following the premiere, Charli XCX articulated the film's central theme. "I was just really interested in telling this story about expectation," she revealed. Her career, which began at age 16, took a monumental turn in 2024 with her sixth studio album Brat, creating what became known as "Brat summer." This period of intense connection with her audience was fleeting. "There was this sort of persona that people really associated me with and then there were a lot of expectations put on me as a person, as an artist, of who I was then supposed to be. And I didn’t fit into that sort of narrative," she reflected. "I had got to this place where I was finally feeling so understood. Then I was like not understood again."
A Collaborative Vision with Director Aidan Zamiri
Dissatisfied with the limitations of traditional documentary, Charli XCX collaborated with Scottish photographer and music video director Aidan Zamiri, 30, to craft a more authentic exploration. Described as a fusion of This is Spinal Tap and Black Swan, the film incorporates meta-elements and features cameos from celebrities like Kylie Jenner and Rachel Sennott playing themselves. "I won’t lie, there are definitely some crossovers," Charli XCX admitted regarding the film's relationship to reality. "I haven’t made the choices that Charli in the film makes, but I’ve definitely come close to it. … It was a very accurate depiction of what I’ve experienced in the music industry."
Zamiri, who previously directed her "360" music video, embraced directing his first feature film, intimately understanding the pressures she faced. "It’s this battle of expectations and of people wanting one thing from you and you feeling this pressure too, to stick with it, to keep providing that one thing for fear that maybe that attention, that excitement about you will falter," he explained. He added insight into the creative process, noting, "I love the process of making stuff. But part of it, which is often really exciting but also weird, is the sharing with the world because then it’s just no longer yours anymore … it becomes its own thing which I think we saw happen in real-time with Brat."
Plot and Theatrical Release Strategy
In The Moment, Charli XCX's character faces immense commercial pressure as "Brat summer" concludes. The narrative sees her tasked with staging a concert film for Amazon, collaborating with a "sleazy director not of her choosing" portrayed by Alexander Skarsgård, promoting a "Brat credit card," and contending with demanding music executives, leaving her increasingly frazzled and sleep-deprived.
The A24 film, one of Sundance's most buzzed-about titles, is scheduled for a swift theatrical rollout. It opens in New York and Los Angeles on 30 January before expanding nationwide on 6 February. Charli XCX has been deeply involved in the marketing, stating, "I love marketing, I really do. I think there’s an interesting gap in film between the vision of the filmmaker and the marketing. It’s been really cool working with A24, who are definitely determined to bridge that gap." Despite the promotional demands, her passion remains the creative process itself, making the film a profoundly rewarding endeavour.
Sundance Coronation and Cinematic Ambitions
The Sundance Festival served as an unofficial coronation for Charli XCX as a serious actor, with three films featuring her across the opening weekend. Beyond The Moment, she appeared in Gregg Araki’s I Want Your Sex as an uptight girlfriend and in Cathy Yan’s The Gallerist as an art-world influencer, showcasing her expanding range.
A self-professed cinephile with a public Letterboxd account logging 1,357 films, Charli XCX's foray into filmmaking is deeply personal. She has also created a companion concept album for Emerald Fennell’s upcoming Wuthering Heights. "I really am sort of like desperate to learn more and more about every part of the film industry: Making a film, being in film. I’m so hungry," she expressed with palpable enthusiasm. "I feel so incredibly lucky that I’ve been a part of the films that I have been part of thus far."
A palpable energy surrounds The Moment as its release nears, with fans celebrating at the premiere and an afterparty. Zamiri observed, "I love all the fans wanting to roll up with their sunglasses on and their crop tops. I get the feeling they’ll show up for this like they would for a concert. That’s the coolest thing ever." The film promises to be a raw, meta-examination of fame's double-edged sword, marking a significant new chapter for the pop icon turned filmmaker.
