To celebrate the final Sundance in Park City, I’m sending daily dispatches through Sunday. So far, I revealed indie film’s plan to fight industry consolidation and laid out why this year’s fest is make-or-break for film. Reach out if you’re on the ground: richard@theankler.com.
While the fate of Hollywood and the film industry hangs in the balance, Charli XCX came to the Sundance Film Festival, and for this one day, the festival’s oxygen was devoured by this pop star making her first foray into cinema.
In her maiden outing here, the renowned Brat superstar had achieved the perhaps unprecedented instance of appearing in films in back-to-back premieres at the Eccles Theater, Sundance’s largest venue, during the primetime space of opening weekend. (At least, I can’t think of or find another instance, but if you know of one, share in the comments or send me a note.)
She wasn’t the star of the first film — director Gregg Araki’s return to the festival with I Want Your Sex, the explicit comedy with Olivia Wilde and Cooper Hoffman. In that one, Charli XCX plays merely a supporting role, which still didn’t stop it from becoming the “First Charli XCX movie” in the all-important shuttle bus scuttlebutt that is Sundance’s true arbiter.
Immediately following Sex, Charli XCX returned to the Eccles stage for a film in which she was truly the centerpiece in every possible way. The Moment, out next week in theaters from A24, is a comic mockumentary of Charli’s journey as she sought a landing from the overheated hype of Brat Summer, hoping to transition into something more sustainable and lasting.
I was there to watch it all, and here she is in a short video speaking onstage after the screening. (Please make sure to notice her co-star Alexander Skarsgård’s footwear on this very chilly night in the 30s.)