Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Lindsay Traves | Film | February 4, 2026
I can’t claim to have consumed the stream of concert films that purport to bring the concert stage to the living room, but I’m happy for the audiences who want to relive or access their favorite tours. The concert film isn’t a band new idea, but in the era of post-pandemic couch-sitting and increased concert ticket prices, they seem to be a distinctly “now” phenomenon and almost an expectation as soon as an idol reaches a certain level of album mania. But Charli XCX isn’t your regular popstar, so her take on the medium is naturally something of a different shade. Believe it or not, the latest subversive cinematic pop idol performance has more in common with Curb Your Enthusiasm than Taylor Swift: End of an Era. Charli is no Taylor Swift and that’s not only evident in her insistence on playing to her spicier niche, but in this choice to forego a regular concert film and to instead lampoon the pop idol machine with a cinéma vérité style meta faux-doc chronicling her best attempt at milking the remnants of “brat.”
Charli leads as a heightened version of herself, tugged in too many directions by a mix of sycophants and opportunists looking to latch themselves onto the height of her fame. She is well in the throes of her breakout album and the ensuing “brat summer” with everyone looking to get the most out of these fifteen minutes. But for the idol who has always been bopping around the pop icon gauntlet, this new height feels overdue and overwhelming, sending her into a messy breakdown as she’s forced to manage pleasing everyone without losing herself. With an upcoming tour, concert film, and convoluted brand deals, the 365 party girl struggles to please the label, her trusted creative lead, a cheesy director, corporate sponsors, and, of course, her fans.
The idea for the film is said to have come from a rambling text Charli sent to director, Aiden Zamiri, who then co-wrote with Bertie Brandis. The idea came from Charli’s pressure to make a concert film, and she does so in her own way by subverting the concept for a self-aware spin on that medium. Though billed as a mockumentary, the film relies more heavily on an omniscient handheld camera that follows Charli in her most private moments. (In fact, the acknowledgement of the cameras is the film’s largest weakness, it never paying off and instead muddying the lines of plausible reality). There are no talking heads or scene setups, only fast paced shaky shots of the popstar being slowly crushed under the weight of an advertiser friendly concert film built around her album about cocaine.
Of course, music is important to this piece, but more so is the noise. The whole affair, like her dream tour, is an assault on the senses via bass heavy electronic sounds (from composer and frequent collaborator, A. G. Cook), strobes, and non-complimentary colors that make the text-based gags hard to see. It all feels an intentional upscale of the satire that forces this audience to engage in the frenetic nightclub style Charli would prefer while we watch her begin to settle on something entirely different for the in-world concert film we’ll never see.
Zamiri is known for music videos and photography which explains much of the establishing shots, and Brandis’s clout as a satire writer is all over the film. Mostly abandoned by the back half, the earlier part of the movie is full up with dry-as-hell throwaway jokes that’ll leave the pop-girlies slapping their knees. Charli proves her worth as a dramatic actress in the higher tension scenes later on, but her comedy chops devour the screen in her delivery of early cringe lines while her character tries to find her footing as a one-woman franchise.
The Moment is in a category difficult to describe which is what makes it so special. Like Larry and Jerry declining to do a Seinfeld reunion but opting into a meta joke about it while insisting their way is better, the grittier party girl popstar has taken the piss out of the concert film and given us a satirical peak behind a thick red curtain. Does that make Taylor Friends?
The Moment will have a wider cinema release on February 6, 2026
