A sucker for community bonding over a cultural phenomenon; a digital trend, I have done my fair share of fawning over Charli XCX’s lime green record. I learnt the apple dance, I listened to Mean Girls in the gym, I sprinted across fields to get a glimpse of her at her Glastonbury dj set in 2024. The music brought me and friends and strangers together. So, of course, I was desperate to like The Moment the Brat mockumentary. Whilst it would be a lie to say I wasn’t entertained, it certainly warrants criticism. So criticise, I shall…
Firstly, it must be understood that Charli XCX has built somewhat of an impenetrable persona. Impenetrable because we aren’t supposed to like her; so to pull apart the standoffish, prima donna facade is to ‘not quite get it’. Immediately, critics are put between a rock and a hard place. The Moment leans upon this foundation, attempting a highly self-referential, meta approach. Charli is rude and scatterbrained and ungrateful, presumably a caricature.
The general premise of the mockumentary imagines a parallel universe in which Charli sells out, compromising her true artistic vision to even out the scales of a scandal. She allows Johannes – played wonderfully by Alexander Skarsgard – a highly successful director, but of a somewhat Coldplay-esque genre to take the reins from her creative director Celeste (Hailey Gates). He reconceptualises her tour with huge glittery cigarette props and gemstones and fairy-core outfits. Many have voiced blatant jibes at Taylor Swift. In the closing sequences, Charli is shown onstage following parallel choreography and staging to Swift’s monolith ‘Eras Tour’. It seems becoming Taylor Swift is Charli’s worst nightmare, presented as a feverish horror-flick.
The pair have had a sort of ongoing feud (how much is real and how much is PR is disputed), Charli’s song ‘Sympathy is a Knife’ was reportedly about Swift, and it certainly struck a nerve, leading to the response of ‘Actually Romantic’. But how different are the two? When fans online theorise that she is a communist, Charli’s team erupt into giggles, poking fun at her H&M campaign. Because of course, a communist certainly wouldn’t partner with climate criminals. Whilst this is of course different to Swift’s carbon-emissions-private-jets-scandal, to partner with a brand that is one of the foremost polluters in the fashion industry isn’t exactly something that should be made light of. Or that should serve as a humorous plot device.
Here, The Moment tries so hard to be meta that it cannibalises itself. Charli pokes fun at other stars for selling out, desperate to prolong hype. But the film serves as a prime example of exactly that. The very premise of squeezing a film out of Brat, and casting the face of 2020s capitalist beauty standards Kylie Jenner encapsulates the very sentiments it tries to tear down. Perhaps it will be better received in years to come. For now, it felt a little too soon. Brat is still warm in the grave.
I will admit, the film did have pockets of greatness. Aidan Zamiri, known primarily for his stylised music videos, excelled with the cinematography. The throbbing strobes in the opening sequence and the abrasive neon colours certainly evoked a perfect nightmarish quality. I also enjoyed Rachel Sennott’s brief cameos, slightly miffed that she wasn’t featured more, the perfect archetype of vocal-fry LA party girl. Johannes also had perfect comedic timing. The slouchy beanies, beaded jewellery and slightly sheer hooded long-sleeve t-shirts were so viscerally 2010s that I had to remind myself he wasn’t real at points.
But ultimately, joking about something doesn’t erase it. It just empowers perpetrators, and makes it harder to hold them to account.
Image credits – The Movie DB
