British pop phenomenon Charli XCX delivers a razor-sharp satire of music industry mechanics in “The Moment,” a mockumentary premiering at the Sundance Film Festival. The film presents a fictionalized version of the artist wrestling with creative authenticity versus commercial demands following her massively successful “brat” album era.
Portraying an exaggerated diva version of herself, Charli XCX navigates the pressures of arena tour preparations while clashing with industry figures who seek to perpetuate her profitable “brat” persona. The narrative tension crystallizes through conflicts between her creative director Celeste (Hailey Gates) and a commercially-driven film director Johannes (Alexander Skarsgård), who envisions a sanitized, market-friendly tour production.
The screenplay, crafted by Bertie Brandes and debut feature director Aidan Zamiri, employs familiar music industry archetypes to critique the machinery of pop stardom. Zamiri acknowledges creative debt to Rob Reiner’s seminal “This Is Spinal Tap,” though the film updates the formula for the streaming era and hyper-commercialized music landscape.
Charli XCX revealed at the festival that the project reflects her genuine desire to pivot from her current creative identity. “I am really wanting ‘brat’ to stop and actually really pivot as far away from it as possible,” she stated, emphasizing artists’ need to constantly reinvent themselves. The mockumentary represents one of three Sundance features featuring the artist, signaling her strategic expansion into cinematic endeavors.
When questioned about her prolific output across multiple projects, the singer referenced lyrics from her hit “365”: “Don’t sleep, don’t eat, just do it on repeat.” The film includes celebrity cameos and absurd industry scenarios that amplify its critique while maintaining comedic delivery, creating both entertainment and commentary on contemporary pop culture dynamics.