What is the worst outcome for an artist? Is it to never achieve success or to create something so massive that it crashes into you like a tidal wave — disorienting you to the point where you forget why you made it? The screen flashed, “brat summer…is FINALLY over…idk? Maybe?” at the end of Charli XCX’s 2025 headline Coachella set — nodding to the fact that the year-long cultural celebration of her sixth studio album may have hit last call. But as the pop star walked off the stage, the last words were, “Please don’t let this be over.” I often wonder how artists feel once they reach the top of the mountain, and in Charli’s case, the intro to “The Moment” is a minor chronicle of that feat. She dances to “365”, a furious up-tempo dance track as the words “3-6-5-, party girl” echo. But the music stops, and Charli is exasperated. There will always be a last call, whether you are ready for it or not.
The trademark of a good party (or rave) is allowing yourself to succumb to its universe. The sweat, the pulsating music, and sharing a space with fellow bodies swaying in a rhythmic ritual. Aidan Zamiri, “The Moment” is the snooze button interrupting a deep sleep. It’s the rat race after a long, raucous night of partying. Hell, it’s finding out that your favorite communal space has been suddenly bought by a company and shut down. While Charli is playing a fictionalized version of herself in this mockumentary, the anxieties are very real.
“The Moment / Courtesy of A24
For six albums, she has been building up to what would be the mountaintop of her career. With art and the music industry, specifically, it’s not guaranteed that lightning will strike twice. Do you risk riding a successful project to the point of self-parody, or do you move on to something different, realizing you may never see that peak again? Never mind bigger powers that know that success and want to monetize it in every way possible. Now that the project has become more of a shared organism than a personal snapshot in time. While stories of creativity versus the needs of corporatization versus the need to scale are not new, “The Moment” manages to put a personal spin on a comedic, nightmarish take on losing control of something you created.
Perhaps some weren’t caught in the whirlwind of “Brat” and the summer it captured; the film is a pseudo-primer that gets you caught up to speed. However, the film is not so much reflective as it is a chronicle of the process of putting together a massive tour. Record label head Tammy Pitman (Rosanna Arquette) sees how lucrative the haus of “Brat” has been and wants to keep the party going as long as possible. There are plans for a “Brat” credit card specifically for Charli’s top demographic of fans. Then, there’s the tour itself, where the powers that be feel someone with a specific set of concert-directing skills should be brought in. Johannes Godwin (Alexander Skarsgård) has a grand vision for what the “Brat” show should be (mostly kid-friendly and safe). Have you seen the Era’s tour? That’s what Johannes is going for.
“The Moment / Courtesy of A24
There’s one problem. Charli and her very trusted creative director, Celeste (Hailey Benton Gates), already have a concept for the show. To match the energy of the album, Charli’s concert should feel like the 200-person capacity nightclub that’s sticky, energetic, and vulgar. But the initial concept of what “Brat” personified is slipping away into something entirely different. Throughout this process, Charli has to decide whether to burn it all down or reluctantly keep it going.
“The Moment” boasts a wide variety of celebrity cameos from Rachel Sennott, Kylie Jenner, Julia Fox, and Kate Berlant – fictional versions, of course. As far as the humor goes, Sennott and Berlant lean more toward the funnier parts of the film. Charli runs into Jenner during a sudden retreat to Ibiza, where she remarks on the possibility of a working team-up with Johannes. Jenner says to Charli, “You’re leveling up!” only adding to her never-ending anxiety. Surely, if one of the Kardashian family members says this is the right decision, why not accept an Amazon Music placement?
Zamrir and co-writer Bertie Brandes could have veered this mockumentary more towards satirization – especially when it comes to the credit card fallout. However, “The Moment” chooses to stick with excavating what definitions mean to people. “Brat” is something Charli created, but by the end, it’s a concept she hardly even recognizes. Kudos to Skarsgård’s portrayal of Johannes, a self-serving, encroaching male director stereotype, to get this point across. All we need is another male know-it-all in the industry to shout over talented women who have a vision.
At one point, someone asks her if Charli is getting enough sleep, which, in its own right, feels faceous given you can see her exhaustion level past the dark black sunglasses. In an earlier scene, she’s recording a radio bit asking if the “keep having a brat summer thing” is cringe? Artists have a built-in sixth sense for when a project has a shelf life. “The Moment” acknowledges that the crowd may already be filing out, yet it is ready to embrace it. But those peaks are intoxicating, as are the calls for an encore. Thus, here’s a goodbye to an era and a step into the unknown of what the next one will look like.
“The Moment” premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.
