The Moment

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Aidan Zamiri directs. Sean Price Williams behind the camera. A. G. Cook scores. Billy Sneddon cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 1Shot for just $4.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
• 2Released this year — you're seeing it while it's still in the cultural conversation.
• 3Directed by Aidan Zamiri, shot by Sean Price Williams. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 4Original score by A. G. Cook. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
• 5Editor Billy Sneddon shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
• 6Charli xcx and Alexander Skarsgård and Rosanna Arquette carry the top of the cast.
• 7Marketing tagline: "and it's a movie about brat and charli and a tour but none of it happened but maybe some of it did".
• 8IMDB entry: tt35524793 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
• 9Only 87 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
• 10Classified under 33 themes, including "london, england", "concert", "pop star", "narcissism".

The technical file

Cinematography

Sean Price Williams

Original score

A. G. Cook

Editing

Billy Sneddon

Production design

Francesca Balestra Di Mottola

Costume design

Taylor Mitchell

Makeup / hair

Loz Schiavo

VFX supervisor

John Kennedy

Sound

Helen Miles

Stunt coordinator

Tony Lucken

Runtime

103 min · 1h 43m

Aspect ratio (typical)

1.37:1 (Academy)

Status

Released

Budget

$4,000,000

Box office

$5,168,044

Return

129% of budget

Original language

EN

Certification (US)

R

IMDB

The Moment (2026) ↗

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

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Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

• 

  ▶
  Interview with director Aidan Zamiri

  Featurette · Official
• 

  ▶
  All The Way For This?

  Clip · Official
• 

  ▶
  Brat Card

  Clip · Official
• 

  ▶
  A. G. Cook - Residue (Official Video)

  Featurette · Official
• 

  ▶
  Trailer

  Trailer · Official
• 

  ▶
  Official Trailer

  Trailer · Official

Community reviews

What people are saying

• CinemaSerf2026-03-08
  ★ 6/10

  I was reminded quite often of “Vox Lux” (2018) as this docudrama shines it’s spotlight on the fickleness and traumas of the music business. Charlie XCX plays herself as a young artist walking the tightrope of her own creative ambitions and the commercial expectations of the business that is making her a wealthy woman. With one successful album already under her belt she and her small team of confidantes now find the yanks taking more of an interest thanks to Rosanna Arquette’s non-nonsense record company boss “Tammy” - and that means a documentary of her build up to a live concert. She’s unconvinced, but so long as her creative director “Celeste” (Hailey Gates) is in charge, she will indulge. Ha! No chance. They have drafted in “Johannes” (Alexander Skarsgård) to beef things up, tones things down and channel her energies into something more akin to the glowing wristband experience of a Coldplay concert. Exasperated, she takes a break in Ibiza where she makes a fairly hefty online faux-pas that leaves her entirely exposed to the more venal elements of her industry and she, quite literally, dangling from the ceiling (or hiding in an eight foot tall cigarette lighter). I reckon this is really one for her fans, of whom there are plenty. For the rest of us, though, it doesn’t ever really catch fire. Lots of expletive-ridden dialogue, chain smoking and temper tantrums later I didn’t think this told me anything about the music business that I didn’t already know. If anything what this does illustrate is that when she had complete control as an aspiring singer-songwriter, she produced something heartfelt, honest and relevant to her audience. Now that the marketeers have got their hands on her, though, things lose their edge and become more generically sterilised. Is it supposed to be a satirical critique of her life or an all too realistic one? Perhaps she ought to have waited five years or so to make this and then she could have provided some more answers. As it is, it is little better than a well produced but fairly shallow dose of self-indulgence about someone whose endurance is yet to be tested by an exceptionally volatile consumer.

  Read full review ↓
• Yasmin J. Lee2026-09-25
  ★ 7/10

  Charli XCX’s archival ode to brat 💚: What’s metaphorical cocaine? “THE MOMENT,” being a satirical film, is beyond fitting, considering how we went from saying “Kamala is brat” to feeling the unbearable weight of our current political climate, which promotes conservatism and regresses the liberties of women across the globe. (For additional context) Yes, the interconnectedness of a pop album and its aesthetics to politics is already absurd, but that’s exactly why “THE MOMENT” exists. In a time when the life of a showgirl is the new standard, the life of a brat is portrayed as a gritty, high-stakes, overstimulating world thrust upon Charli XCX. The contrast between Charli’s beginnings to being a global phenomenon reveals how yearning for simpler times may make you vulnerable to avoiding inevitable assimilation.  As a 365 party girl myself, I remember the magic of listening to the brat album while driving from an ex’s house. By the time I reached “i might say something stupid,” I understood the invitation Charli extended to her listeners. Her fear of failure, the pressure to become a mother and a mogul in her thirties, and the weight of the industry’s dubious affection coalesced into a wall she walked past at the bar before effectively saying, “Cult classic, but I still pop.”  That feeling was not lost in this film; it simply showed us what was going on behind the scenes of Charli’s explosive success. The manufacturing of a pop star was depicted through lurid colors, throbbing bass, and the performances of domineering collaborators. However, its narrative suffers from pacing issues and only addresses, without examining, the sexism and biases Charli must’ve faced while navigating her newfound level of success. Despite “THE MOMENT” not offering a meaningful examination of the social issues presented in the story, it still delivers an overall brat-summer experience, establishing itself as an archival one. The best way to screen this film is through vape smoke the night after a big party. “THE MOMENT” has all the makings of a cult classic while serving us the guerrilla aesthetic on a clean, nostalgic platter. This film only makes me more excited to see Charli evolve as a musician and cinephile. I’m also anticipating more work from Aidan Zamiri. This was a daring debut that only solidifies the importance of an artist’s voice and authenticity in our attention economy. Addendum: The final monologue of the film is a bittersweet (no pun intended) eulogy to this era. Yes, narration can spoon-feed an audience, but in this film it operates more as a contrapuntal score to the Everest of the brat era. Mad respect for them just going for it and closing the film with The Verve 💚 Enjoyed this review? Subscribe to my Substack (Snowy Reviews, by Yasmin) and give me a follow (@yasminthewriter) on Letterboxd, and see what I review next!

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• 

  Studio365

  US

• 

  A24

  US

• 

  Atlantic Records

  US

• 

  Good World

  US

• 

  2AM

  US

Key crew

• ProducerCharli xcx
• ProducerDavid Hinojosa
• Executive ProducerBrandon Creed
• Executive ProducerMikey Schwartz-Wright
• Executive ProducerZach Nutman
• Production DesignFrancesca Balestra Di Mottola
• CastingJennifer Venditti
• EditorBilly Sneddon
• Set DecorationViolet Elliot
• First Assistant DirectorJonathan Farmer
• Second Assistant DirectorMark Inglis
• GafferJasper Clarkson
• IdeaCharli xcx
• Executive ProducerJohann Knobel
• EditorNeal Farmer
• Foley ArtistZoe King
• Foley ArtistRebecca Heathcote
• Digital Imaging TechnicianReece Franklin
• ThanksTimothée Chalamet
• ThanksRomain Gavras
• ThanksPaolina Russo
• ThanksHorace Page
• Executive In Charge Of ProductionNathan Reinhart
• Line ProducerTim Leach

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

• london, england
• concert
• pop star
• narcissism
• controversy
• ibiza
• scandal
• mockumentary
• biting
• price of fame
• apology
• nostalgic
• social media
• frantic
• satirical
• complex
• playful
• meta
• independent film
• provocative
• didactic
• dramatic
• suspenseful
• hilarious
• intense
• bold
• euphoric
• exhilarated
• exuberant
• farcical
• powerful
• sardonic
• wry

Release history · US

When it landed

• Premiere2026-01-23· Sundance Film Festival
• Premiere2026-01-29R· Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills
• Theatrical (limited)2026-01-30R· New York City, New York / Los Angeles, California
• Theatrical (limited)2026-02-06R· Limited Expansion
• Theatrical2026-02-13R
• Digital2026-03-03R
• Digital2026-05-29R· HBO Max
• Physical2026-05-01R· Blu-ray
• TV2026-05-30R· HBO

Also known as

International titles

• 더 모먼트KR
• El MomentoMX
• O MomentoBR
• 酷娃恰莉：絢爛一刻TW