Charli XCX's The Moment mocks fame in a wild Brat-era mockumentary
Charli XCX has released The Moment, a satirical mockumentary inspired by the frenzy surrounding her 2024 album Brat. The film blends real tour footage with fictional scenes, reflecting on her sudden rise to mainstream attention. Fans and critics alike have noted its sharp take on the music industry's excesses.
The project arrives after Brat became a cultural sensation, its lime green aesthetic and hedonistic themes dominating memes and social media. The album's unexpected popularity even caught the attention of US political pundits when it surfaced in online campaigns ahead of the presidential race.
Charli XCX described the making of The Moment as a way to process the rapid shift in her career. The album's success had taken her by surprise, and she called the experience 'heavy'. Rather than sticking to music alone, she explored acting, drawing inspiration from films but refusing to limit herself to one creative path.
The mockumentary follows her in the lead-up to a world tour, mixing satire with behind-the-scenes chaos. Critics at NME compared its reception to Emerald Fennell's Saltburn, praising its meme-worthy moments while calling it 'too protracted and tonally uneven'. They awarded it three stars.
Real footage from the Brat tour sits alongside staged drama, capturing the album's peak influence during 'Brat summer'. The film's release on 20 February 2023 marked another bold step for Charli XCX, who continues to blur the lines between reality and performance.
The Moment extends the legacy of Brat, cementing its place in pop culture beyond just music. The mockumentary's mix of fact and fiction offers a raw look at fame's absurdities. For Charli XCX, it's another layer in a career defined by reinvention and defiance of expectations.
