Charli XCX’s mockumentary “The Moment” perfectly pairs concert film hype with comedic undertones and pop star existentialism.

The new film, directed by Aidan Zamiri, depicts a fictionalized retelling of Charli XCX’s Brat summer arena tour. “The Moment” stars Charli XCX as herself, Alexander Skarsgård as incompetent concert film director Johannes and Rosanna Arquette as Tammy, a record label executive trying to push the Brat hype as far as it can go.

Rachel Sennott, Kylie Jenner, Julia Fox and Mel Ottenberg play themselves in hilarious cameo roles throughout the movie.

What I liked the most about this movie was how emotionally open it felt. Although it was a fictionalized account, the anxiety and pressure to perform that Charli portrays felt very raw and honest.

As Brat Summer is starting to wind down, we see her fears of fading into obscurity after the album cycle, paired with the fear of having to push the “brat agenda” for the rest of her career. As the album becomes increasingly commercialized, we can see her start to emotionally check out of the project before she shifts into a full panic.

The events of the film seem to mirror a lot of what happened in real life toward the end of the tour she went on with Troye Sivan. As the actual “Sweat Tour” came to an end, she went back and forth between saying things like “goodbye forever brat summer” and “brat summer forever,” two obviously incredibly conflicting messages.

Even the delay in changing her old album covers back to their originals, rather than the “brat-ified” versions, feels like a symbolic way of clinging to what was, at the time, the highest point of her career.

In the film, this fear is portrayed incredibly well and is further driven by (seemingly) well-meaning comments from other characters about her age and her rise to popularity in the industry.

Another aspect of the film I thought was incredibly interesting was the cinematography. Shot like an authentic concert documentary, the camera never feels out of place in scenes. The footage feels incredibly vulnerable, even when scenes are being played for laughs.

The use of Charli’s music throughout the movie also stands out, and every song included feels intentional and personal.

While Charli did an amazing job portraying herself, another standout performance was from Skarsgård. His character, Johannes, is the concert film director who is trying to completely change and “sanitize” Charli’s creative vision. He plays up the complete ridiculousness of his character while still conveying the director’s imposing nature.

It makes sense that the only person who can effectively “kill” Brat is Charli, and I think this film is her final goodbye to that era. I think there’s significance in the fact that right as “The Moment” comes out, the release of “Wuthering Heights” is just around the corner. She’s laying the groundwork for her next project, which seems to be a complete tonal shift from Brat.

“The Moment” is a bittersweet goodbye to a career-defining and culturally significant period in her life, but leaves fans looking ahead to what the rising star will do next.