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Charli XCX's 'The Moment' Explores the Bittersweet Aftermath of Brat-Era Fame
Director Aidan Zamiri and composer A.G. Cook discuss their collaborative process on the mockumentary film
Feb. 10, 2026 at 11:31am
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The Moment, a mockumentary film directed by Aidan Zamiri and scored by A.G. Cook, explores the aftermath of Charli XCX's Brat-era fame. Charli plays an exaggerated version of herself, grappling with the soul-sucking dimensions of a promotional campaign that signaled the peak of her pop stardom. Zamiri and Cook, longtime collaborators of Charli's, worked closely to capture her strong, authentic personality while taking the sonic strands of Brat and making them 'quite cold' and emotional. The film features a prominent needle drop of 'Bittersweet Symphony' by The Verve, a song with a convoluted history of ownership that thematically aligns with the film's exploration of fame and creative control.
Why it matters
The Moment provides a satirical commentary on the hype and burnout of the Brat summer phenomenon, which propelled Charli XCX's 2024 album into a full-blown cultural moment. As a longtime visual collaborator of Charli's, director Aidan Zamiri brings particular insight into the mechanics of a promotional campaign, while composer A.G. Cook, Charli's longtime musical collaborator, crafts a score that emotionally reflects the film's themes of creative exhaustion and disillusionment.
The details
In The Moment, Charli XCX plays an exaggerated version of herself, plagued by funhouse mirror distortions of the anxieties that besieged her during the extended press and stadium tour for her 2024 album Brat. Director Aidan Zamiri, who has previously worked on music videos for Charli, Billie Eilish, and FKA Twigs, brings a keen understanding of the visual language of pop stardom to the film. Composer A.G. Cook, who has produced several of Charli's albums, including Charli, How I'm Feeling Now, and Brat, crafted the film's score using Charli's vocal samples sparingly, instead opting to 'take the strands of Brat and make them quite cold in a sense, stretch them out and make them emotional.' The film features a prominent needle drop of 'Bittersweet Symphony' by The Verve, a song with a convoluted history of ownership that thematically aligns with the film's exploration of fame and creative control.
- The Moment premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2026, a year after composer A.G. Cook first read the script and began work on the score.
- The film is expanding nationwide via A24 in 2026.
The players
Aidan Zamiri
The director of The Moment, making his feature film debut. Zamiri has previously directed music videos for Charli XCX, Billie Eilish, and FKA Twigs, and has served as a creative consultant for films like A Complete Unknown and Marty Supreme.
A.G. Cook
The composer of the score for The Moment, marking his first cinematic effort. Cook has a long history of collaborating with Charli XCX, producing several of her albums including Charli, How I'm Feeling Now, and Brat.
Charli XCX
The pop star who plays an exaggerated version of herself in The Moment, a mockumentary exploring the aftermath of her Brat-era fame.
The Verve
The English rock band whose song 'Bittersweet Symphony' is prominently featured in The Moment. The song has a convoluted history of ownership that thematically aligns with the film's exploration of fame and creative control.
Richard Ashcroft
The lead singer of The Verve, who was finally able to reclaim royalties for 'Bittersweet Symphony' after years of legal battles over the song's use of a sample from the Rolling Stones.
What they’re saying
“It's about capturing Charli's very strong, authentic personality.”
— A.G. Cook, Composer (Filmmaker Magazine)
“It was going to be about how I can take the strands of Brat and make them quite cold in a sense, stretch them out and make them emotional.”
— A.G. Cook, Composer (Filmmaker Magazine)
“It's been exactly a year between me reading the script, starting the music and being the premiere at Sundance.”
— A.G. Cook, Composer (Filmmaker Magazine)
“The rawness of how I've done the electronic stuff even pushed you guys on set.”
— A.G. Cook, Composer (Filmmaker Magazine)
“It's a calculated exercise in squeezing blood from a stone.”
— A.G. Cook, Composer (Filmmaker Magazine)
What’s next
The Moment will continue to expand to more theaters nationwide in 2026 following its Sundance premiere.
The takeaway
The Moment provides a satirical yet poignant commentary on the hype and burnout of the Brat-era pop culture phenomenon, with director Aidan Zamiri and composer A.G. Cook collaborating closely to capture Charli XCX's strong, authentic personality while exploring the emotional toll of fame and creative control.
