Dir. Aidan Zamiri


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Charli XCX’s The Moment follows a rising pop star dealing with the process of creating her tour.

It’s not what I expected.

For context, I’m a big fan of Charli’s, so I was obviously very excited for this film. I really wished to be obsessed with it, but that didn’t happen.
I can’t say I hate it. I mean, I gave it 4 stars, so I obviously didn’t. It’s actually more of a 3-star film, but I simply can’t feel that because my love for Charli and Brat won’t let me.

The main issue I had as a viewer was that it felt off. But why?

First, it was confusing. For example, I got really hyperfixated on the characters’ roles in the making of Charli’s tour in the film. I couldn’t understand how Johanes (the concert film director) somehow took over the whole show. Isn’t he supposed to just film the already-made concert?

The writing could have been stronger overall; maybe this is the big problem. It was built on a script that wasn’t well executed. The build-up to the big moments weren’t perfectly hitting, and the overall rhythm of the story beats was uneven. The camera work is a bit confusing at times as well, especially at the start—I didn’t know what was happening.

The genre. Why is it a mockumentary? They never explain it. At the start, you think it might be the concert film they are talking about. However, it’s not. It’s like there’s a concert film and a documentary, but the characters never mention the latter.
 It also wasn’t that funny, more amusing than anything. I can’t really trust myself on that because I lack a sense of humour in films.


The film definitely got stuck in between satire and psychological drama. They should have probably picked one, because those two are kind of contradicting—if not balanced right, of course. Maybe they should have taken a page from Opening Night, a psychological drama set in a slightly absurd space (for the general public at least).That tone could have worked a lot better. Especially given that the most memorable, striking moments were the emotional ones: Charli’s multiple breakdowns or the sections where music was the main focus.

The themes. There is a lot The Moment wants to say, but it doesn’t really say it. Like, I could tell you what it wants to say from all the Charli and Aidan Zamiri interviews I’ve watched, but from the film alone… not quite as much. If I stopped to dissect it like a dead frog, I could tell you, but films are supposed to be alive enough to convey it. 
It is obviously very interesting for a pop star to do this—the exploring of what could have happened to Brat if taken in a different direction. But at the end, I’m kind of left with “why is it relevant?” It’s a nice exploration, but I don’t see the purpose, nor the meaning. The film could have gone in many directions, but this one just wasn’t really the best one, considering the interesting premise it presented.

The worldbuilding. One final critique I have to make is that Charli XCX said this was a “2024 period piece,” but it didn’t really feel like that. There are not many locations—really just the Ibiza hotel, the car, and the tour practice place. So it felt kind of… small. Yes, there was the “Protect the Dolls” T-shirt, but where was Julia Fox? And Gabriette? What about other pop stars rising at the time? Maybe there could have been more locations, or shots looking out the window in the car? More of LA? It didn’t fully feel like the moment it was.

On a more positive note, I loved the color grading. And, of course, the flashing lights—so cool. The performances were great for the material. Charli was phenomenal, and the scenes where she is kind of losing it are gold. The shots and the editing in those sequences are also standouts. I especially liked the scene with Kylie Jenner; there’s a lot of subtext to it on relationships in the industry. The makeup and costumes are also great—it’s cool to see different aesthetics used for the Brat concept. There were little moments where we got to see the inner workings of a pop star’s mind, but I wish it would have been a bigger part of the film.

In conclusion, I can totally see what they were going for with the film, but I don’t think the story told supported the vision behind it. If they had sat with it a bit longer, it could have been a lot better.

Okay, this sounds like I absolutely hated it. Maybe The Vampire Diaries has toasted my brain and I’m less emotionally attuned. It just wasn’t everything it was made up to be. Sorry.

I’m still keeping the 4 stars, though.