It's early February, the snow is coming down, the temperatures are dropping, and summer feels like a foreign land we'll never see. But do not fret, Charli xcx is here, and with her latest film she brings us right back to 'brat summer' with The Moment. Presenting a fictionalized account of the lead up to Charli's 'brat' tour, I wasn't sure what to expect with this one but wound up enjoying it quite a bit.
This marks the directorial debut of Aidan Zamiri, and follows Charli as she prepares for her first arena tour. Complicating things for her is a constant wave of different people trying to capitalize off of the success of 'brat summer' while she herself works to stay relevant. Thus we are thrown into the whirlwind of the pressures of newfound fame where everyone seems to be pulling in a different direction while Charli herself just looks to stay true to herself.
Perhaps the biggest surprise to me here is how good Charli's performance is. Yes she's playing a fictionalized version of herself, but the way she portrays the stresses of her status and the mind-numbing confusion of having so much thrown at her at once feels truly authentic. Despite playing herself she doesn't shy away from her flaws which is something I find quite commendable. The performances around her are pretty strong as well. Alexander Skarsgard plays a concert film director whose creative vision clashes with Charli and her creative director. To put it frankly, he's one of the most annoying characters I've seen in any movie recently, but it works so well. The character presents a very fake sense of humility while constantly condescending but with a softness to make it feel like he isn't being a jackass, and he's just the perfect foil to the brashness with which Charli presents herself and her music. Directly opposite Skarsgard is Hailey Benton Gates as Charli's creative director, whose clear frustration with Skarsgard is both hilarious and deeply sympathetic. I won't lie, I did spend a long time convinced that Benton Gates was Emma Stone, but that's in part thanks to how strong her performance is. All in all there's really not a bad performance here which surprised me.
Creatively this is certainly a film that will divide people, but I found Zamiri's approach quite interesting for a debut. For starters the idea of presenting a fictionalized account of Charli's tour build up is fascinating, but I loved how Zamiri's filmmaking highlighted Charli's style as an artist. From the very opening shot this is a loud of boisterous film, with a much earned epilepsy warning before the actual film rolls. It can admittedly be a bit much at times, but the flashy editing fits perfectly with the party atmosphere Charli's music evokes.
I do wish Zamiri and Charli cut a bit deeper on some of the pressures she is facing. There are subplots that don't feel resolved quite enough and Charli's disconnect from the creative elements of the tour could definitely have been fleshed out more. I also could have used a bit more of her music. The editing fits her chaotic party style, but I think sprinkling more of the album throughout would have helped in crafting that tone. All in all though, I enjoyed this quite a bit. It has an Uncut Gems-esque blend of humour and chaos and Charli is great in front of the camera. 3.5/5
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