Film Review: The Moment (2026): A24’s Charli XCX Mockumentary is Intriguing Though it Never Quite Takes Off
The Moment Review
The Moment (2026) Film Review, a movie directed by Aidan Zamiri, written by Charli XCX, Aidan Zamiri and Bertie Branders and starring Charli XCX, Rosanna Arquette, Alexander Skarsgård, Jamie Demetriou, Rachel Sennott, Kate Berlant, Rish Shah, Isaac Powell, Julia Fox, Hailey Gates and Alex Blake.
Aidan Zamiri’s humorous mockumentary, The Moment, is an intelligent, thought-provoking mess of a movie that starts off quite strong. It has the ideas of what it wants to say, but the way the film ultimately ties everything together at the end doesn’t make much of a statement regarding the wear and tear a tour has for a musical performer like Charli XCX. We follow Charli XCX and her entourage through her “Brat” tour in inspired ways that are intriguing to watch, but in the end, we’re left wondering just who Charli XCX really is outside her musical persona. She’s an enigma and the movie probably wants it that way, but it would have been nice to know what keeps her motivated to keep performing when things keep spiraling out of control in unpredictable ways.
This film starts out with a few superbly conceived ideas about how the music Charli XCX brought to life was promoted and sold to the public. The funniest bit is a credit card made specifically for queer people. “They’re your fans,” one of her assistants tells her. Charli XCX wonders how people who use the credit card will prove they’re LGBTQ+. Rachel Sennott (who played in Bottoms which showcased a wonderful Charli XCX tune at the conclusion) appears briefly here and she seems like an ideal candidate for the credit card given her bisexuality.
Rosanna Arquette, always great, appears as the head of the label Charli XCX works under and Arquette delivers an appropriately over-the-top performance in a role that shows the eagerness and anticipation of those in the biz to generate profits off their most popular talent. Charli XCX takes pictures with her fans and one of them tells her how he tried to commit suicide and that she saved his life (supposedly through her music). These types of events make the movie interesting, but eventually, things peter out and we’re left with a more routine story of a woman who just wants to get away from all the hoopla and take a break every once in a while.
There are magazine shoot scenes, there are dialogues between Charli XCX and her colleagues and the assistants sometimes speak among themselves like in a bit where a key player suggests that Charli XCX’s legacy live on through families until a worker reminds him that our talent’s fans aren’t typically accepted by their families, most likely due to their sexual orientation. Alexander Skarsgård does an interesting turn (as always) as the ambitious Johannes and the actor acquits himself well in just a few major scenes within the picture.
The Moment is a wild ride. Concluding with a performance of the Verve’s Bitter Sweet Symphony, this film stings like a bee with commentary on the world of being a music icon in the world today. This film loses footing in its second half as it falls victim to the movie cliches that plague stories such as this. We learn that Charli XCX is probably more normal than we give her credit for and she has to put on the facade she does in order to thrive for her career and those immersed in it. This film works best with its biting scenes of how the performer must please her fans and the label which supports her artistry.
In the end, Charli XCX remains a very beautiful woman and a talented performer. She has a lot of unique qualities, but it’s hard to know what motivates her outside of her music. She also has a bit of an attitude when someone sitting next to her disturbs her just by being next to her. Charli XCX calls the person sitting by her out and must be soothed by someone else to accept that the person is legit. It’s scenes like this that make us wonder whether or not Charli XCX has a bit of a superiority complex. It’s possible, but we never really know that for a fact. This movie is more of an enigma than Charli XCX is herself. She delivers great music and is one of the best talents in the music world today, but I didn’t learn anything about her that I didn’t know before I started watching The Moment.
Still, it’s hard to not enjoy people throwing oddball ideas out of left field to try to plug “Brat.” Over the course of the movie, it becomes quite funny to see everybody trying so hard to promote a talent whose very existence is reason enough for people to buy tickets to her shows. The Moment ultimately never really truly gels, but it’s still worth seeing for its probing look at Charli XCX’s promoters’ desires to maintain her popularity in a world that often gets bored all too easily. The Moment is still an intriguing picture despite its flaws.
Rating: 7/10
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