Charli XCX’s The Moment Lights Up Sundance With a Personal Satire of Fame

24 January 2026

Charli xcx. Dia Dipasupil/Getty

Park City, Utah was electric on January 22, 2026 when Charli XCX stepped onto the red carpet at the Sundance Film Festival alongside her new mockumentary, The Moment, a bold and playful film that blurs the line between satire and heartfelt confession. The British pop star turned cinematic provocateur drew cheers and curious glances as she introduced a project that borrows liberally from her meteoric rise and the cultural explosion of her 2024 album Brat, refracting those real-life experiences into a narrative that is at turns absurd, introspective and gleefully chaotic. Presented at Sundance by indie powerhouse A24, The Moment is more than just Charli’s first major film premiere; it is a creative manifesto that invites viewers behind the curtain of fame and performance in a way that only she could.

The film, directed and co-written by Aidan Zamiri from an original idea by Charli XCX, stars the singer as a fictionalized version of herself preparing for a career-defining arena tour. Instead of serving as a conventional behind-the-scenes documentary, the mockumentary reimagines the pop phenomenon with a satirical edge, and Charli embraced the parts of herself that mirror her on-screen persona. At the premiere, she laughed about how her own volatile nature informed the exaggerated behavior of the character she plays, even quipping that she is “quite nice too” despite all the chaotic energy on display. Her candid comments after the screening reflected an artist deeply aware of both her public image and the absurdity of fame, a duality that The Moment revels in.

Joining Charli at the premiere were co-stars Rosanna Arquette, Kate Berlant, Hailey Benton Gates, Isaac Powell and Alexander Skarsgård, along with a cameo appearance from Kylie Jenner that added a layer of celebrity sparkle to the evening. The ensemble cast helps bring to life the manic world of Charli’s film alter ego, a rising star caught between creative ambition, commercial pressure and an industry eager to package and repurpose her image. By putting her own celebrity under the microscope, Charli invites audiences to laugh at the spectacle of pop stardom even as she underscores the emotional complexities that come with it.

The influence of classic music satires like This Is Spinal Tap was evident in both the tone and structure of The Moment, and director Zamiri acknowledged that legacy as he introduced the film to Sundance audiences. At its best, the mockumentary feels like a fever dream that captures not just the manic pace of a world tour but the strange psychology of life in the spotlight and the unexpected absurdities that come with it. Some viewers and critics embraced the film’s energetic pacing and meta humor, finding charm in its willingness to poke fun at the star’s own mythology.

Yet reactions to The Moment were mixed beyond the glitzy premiere. Reviews that surfaced in the festival aftermath pointed to a tension in the film between stylish surface and satirical bite. Some critics described the mockumentary’s satire as muted, arguing that while the visuals and performances were vibrant and entertaining, the film ultimately skirted too lightly around the deeper ironies it seemed poised to examine. Others praised its aesthetic brio and Charli’s magnetic screen presence, suggesting that the movie’s true brilliance might be its confident refusal to settle into one definitive tone.

Beyond its cinematic ambitions, The Moment also reflects Charli XCX’s evolving relationship with her own music and cultural legacy. In discussions around the premiere, she spoke openly about wanting her Brat era to be something she could both celebrate and move beyond. While that album and the so-called “Brat summer” left a lasting imprint on pop culture, Charli expressed enthusiasm for exploring new creative avenues, including more film work and collaborations with a diverse range of directors. At Sundance she highlighted how The Moment represented both homage and departure, a moment of creative reckoning that acknowledges her past while pointing toward the future.

This festival marks not only the debut of Charli’s mockumentary but also her presence in multiple Sundance entries. In addition to The Moment, she appears in Gregg Araki’s provocative comedy I Want Your Sex and The Gallerist, a satire about the art world that features an ensemble cast including Natalie Portman. Her immersion in independent cinema at a time when she is also redefining her musical identity signals a rare kind of artistic versatility, one that embraces risk and reinvention at every turn.

For fans who have followed Charli XCX since her early breakthrough in music, the film festival buzz was more than just an awards-season moment. It was confirmation of an artist who has never been content to rest within one medium or one persona, and who continues to challenge expectations with work that is at once self-aware and wildly imaginative. Whether The Moment emerges as a cult favorite, a conversation starter or a mixed bag of criticism and acclaim, its impact at Sundance demonstrates that Charli XCX’s creative star continues to rise and that her voice in film may be as influential as her voice in music.