Charli xcx's "The Moment" is a Mixed (Tiny Plastic) Bag

[the following review contains spoilers]

We all remember "brat summer," after all it was less than two years ago. Normally retrospective films come decades after a big event, but audiences didn't have to wait long to see Charli xcx's brat make an appearance on the big screen. Premiering at this year's Sundance Film Festival, The Moment is one of the most confused and convoluted films I have seen in a long time. Despite my love for Charli's music and respect for the cultural phenomenon that was "brat summer," I find it hard to defend this bizarre passion project that would never have seen the light of day as an original script.

The Moment is a strange film because it is not entirely fiction and not entirely a documentary. Some celebrities are making cameo appearances as themselves while other recognizable celebs are confined to named roles. The official tagline on Letterboxd reads: "it’s a movie about brat and Charli and a tour but none of it happened but maybe some of it did." It tells the story of Charli xcx, a small pop star who has unexpectedly blown up after her latest album, brat, becomes the definitive album of the summer. Throughout the film, she has to navigate her newfound success with the world's attention now being fixed on her. All while a narcissistic director, Johannes (Alexander Skarsgård) tries to make a concert film about her despite clearly not understanding her fans nor her brand. The bizarre mix of fiction and reality is not only confusing and self indulgent but make the whole thing feel like a waste of time.

As a fan of Charli xcx, I did not go into The Moment at Sundance wanting to dislike this film. I remember brat summer fondly, when everything felt covered in a layer of bright slime green and high-energy dance music felt inescapable. But as more and more footage got released through trailers, a sneaking suspicion in me grew: oh no, this looks really, really bad.

What most people might not realize is that Charli xcx is quite the cinephile. She attends high-end festivals like Cannes and has been slowly building her acting resume over the past year in upcoming projects like Gregg Araki's I Want Your Sex and Cathy Yan's The Gallerist. It's clear that she wants to be a part of the film world bad, and while you could chalk this up to a vapid celebrity trying to do everything, her lack of proficiency despite her passion is damn-near heartbreaking. She is trying so incredibly hard to have her little Meryl Streep moment but the sad truth is that dance music will always be her calling, not acting. The Moment feels less like a real, planned-out movie and more like a passion project by someone who just desperately wants to be taken seriously in the film world. While the film is currently getting review-bombed with positivity from diehard fans, this is merely a facade to hide what general audiences and real film professionals think of it.

Despite the glaring issues, The Moment is not a total slog. There is some genuinely adept comedy and Charli thrives during the more somber scenes that she has to herself, unfortunately she's just not a strong enough actor to carry a whole film as the lead. Director, Aidan Zamiri who has previously served as Charli's music video director has some truly unique visual ideas that make this film stand out, although I would caution anyone who has epilepsy from watching the film. Overall, it doesn't really matter what myself or any other critic thinks of The Moment, this is clearly a movie for Charli's fans, or her "angels." As long as they're happy with it, I suppose you could consider this film a success, just not one that is going to please everybody.

The most glaring issue with The Moment is the storyline, which often feels meandering and aimless. If this was a film about a fictional pop star with no connection to an industry giant like Charli xcx, the pitch would've been laughed out of the A24 boardroom. However, that all pails in comparison to the ending, which is one of the worst I have seen at any film festival. Throughout the whole film, it's clear that Charli's newfound success has caused her to be surrounded by yes-men and sycophants who care more about money and attention than they do about her or her art. Gradually as the film goes on, Charli finds herself losing control over her image and the look of her concert film, shedding every genuine person on her team who cared about her and her work. The concert film ends up being a mess and it's clear that Charli knows that. I was expecting a big grand finish where Charli throws Johannes' vision in his face and says: "f*ck it, I'm gonna do it my way" but that doesn't happen, she ends up doing the phony concert film. There is no catharsis she just...sells out. What kind of ending is that?

I can see the argument that this bleak ending is a commentary on capitalist greed and the shallow nature of the music industry, but The Moment feels just as shallow as what it's trying to critique. There's also an underdeveloped B-plot of Charli crashing a bank with a brat credit card collaboration that felt completely random and just an excuse to give some consequence to Charli's actions.

The impression I got from this film was that Charli xcx resents the brat era and everything that launched her career to new heights. While I think The Moment had potential to be an interesting look at the dark side of fame, it is just another example of why you shouldn't throw stones in glass houses.