Directors: Bradley Bell and Pablo Jones-Soler
It’s difficult to remember the gruelling limitations of the first lockdown now and the uncertainty that every day brought, but for Charlie XCX isolating in LA it proved to be a tough but creatively fulfilling period penning a new album – a process that can take a year – in just 40 days. Bradley Bell and Pablo Jones-Soler’s Charli XCX: Alone Together charts what proves to be a disruptive approach to music-making and promotion as Charli involves her legions of fans in every step of the process.
Hosting Insta Lives, Zoom town hall meetings and social media consultations, the creation of Charli’s album How I’m Feeling Now may horrify those who find decision by committee a torturous process. But more will revel in the singer’s democratic approach as she reaches out to fans (known as Angels) to test lyrics, play rough demos and asks them to contribute artwork to videos, all without leaving the house. The excitement of fans, some of whom are also the subject of this 70-minute documentary creates a sense of community, particularly with her LGTBQIA+ audience feeling increasingly adrift with the closure of meeting places and venues during the pandemic.
For those unfamiliar with Charli XCX’s music, there are still plenty of reasons to give her film a try, not least to understand the process of creation, the business requirements of putting together an album with the marketing, cover art and suitable production values, and the intense pressure of trying to do that in just 5 weeks. From the moment recording equipment and a greenscreen arrive, Bell and Jones-Soler’s film has its drive, but it proves far more than a straightforward Challenge Anneka with an inevitable happy ending.
Much of the footage used in the film is captured by Charli herself and it is by nature exposing, often raw in its unrehearsed honesty about her own mental health struggles and imposture syndrome worries. A self-admitted workaholic, Charli emerges as the admirable figure she cannot believe herself to be with an inner strength that helps her through. None of her fan engagement feels manufactured, she is open to their ideas and input, truly wanting to make something collaborative and holds herself to a high standard. Yet, she bats away silly comments in the chat with ease and ploughs on with the project. She is genuine both about the music she is creating and in front of the thousands of people who engage with her process. Charli is a fighter.
The effect that Charli has on others is given a great deal of space by Bell and Jones-Soler who include video chats and live filming with fans from across America and the UK reacting live to the surprise announcements and Zoom meetings while speaking openly about their own feelings of separation, finding a community among the Charli fans able to support each other remotely as they once did in person. From one unable to perform his drag act to others who report having no friends or no one else who understands them, the Directors capture the effect of Charli’s music and her openness during lockdown in finding novel ways to reach out to her loyal fanbase that help them as much as it does her.
Charli is equally open about her personal life, living with the boyfriend she has only spent eleven consecutive days with in seven years, the difficulty in finding a personal balance within her professional career a challenge for them both. None of this solves her fears or lack of confidence, none of it will make her more certain of her direction or less plagued by doubts, but watching Charli take control of every aspect of this musical journey as well as how it is documented and shared is genuinely engaging whatever your music tastes.
Blue Finch Film Releasing presents Charli: XCX: Alone Together in cinemas for a nationwide special presentation on 14 April and on digital 18 April.
