Rob Reviews "The Moment"

Charli XCX’s Brat took over the world a couple of years ago, and the term even had her definition of it added to the dictionary.  One can only imagine how her ascension to worldwide fame and chart-topping controversial hits affected her in both the short and long term.  Being the creative mind that she is, she took an alternate-universe version of that time and turned it into The Moment.

Directed and co-written by Aidan Zamiri in his feature debut (he HAS directed a couple of videos for her and others), Charli plays a fictionalized version of herself at that time in her life as she prepares for her arena tour after “Brat Summer”.  She and her team find themselves in a battle with her label (represented by Tammy, played by Rosanna Arquette), her longtime collaborator Celeste (Hailey Benton Gates from Uncut Gems), and the director hired by the studio to make a concert film in Johannes (Alexander Skarsgård).  As the date for the tour approaches, Charli deals with all of the things as she fights melting down and finding the balance between all of the forces in her life.

The best way to frame this film is This is Spinal Tap without the talking head segments and adding in the awkwardness of The Office.  The choice to make this a mockumentary and shoot it in that “you are there, good or bad” style really does this script the impact it intends.  There are a number of moments that made me laugh out loud as rehearsals commence and Johannes tries to shoehorn his vision into the one that Charli and Celeste have already established with the short time frame involved to kick off the tour.  There are a handful of celebrities that play themselves to add to the illusion and keep this story in some form of grounded while acknowledging the absurdity of what is going on around them, and I really appreciated that as well.

Then, the story takes a complete left turn in the third act that could have spelled disaster for the film as a whole.  Luckily, Zamiri handles this with mastery and keeps it within the confines of his narrative in a way that even someone like me that sees the tonal shift and felt that it fit everything else like a glove with a resolution that has heart and satisfaction.

On the way into the theater (and on the screen right beforehand), there was a warning to those that have a sensitivity to flashing lights, and that is an understatement.  If flashing strobes and effects have ANY affect on you, please steer clear of this one.  Those effects tend to come at random times and with no real warning, so as much as I enjoyed The Moment, I cannot recommend it to those that may be physically harmed by it.  If not, I CAN recommend it to the rest of you.  It is not necessary to be more than casually familiar with Charli’s work to appreciate the story that is told, and who knows?  It may make you want to check out more of her stuff!