Charli XCX’s Directors On Filming Her Anxiety Struggle in New Documentary

The new documentary “Alone Together” follows Charli XCX’s grueling journey to creating a new album in just five weeks amid the pandemic.

As she adjusts to the unprecedented isolation, the pop phenom finds herself struggling with anxiety, self-doubt, a fast-approaching deadline and being holed up with a boyfriend she has dated for seven years, yet sees for only a few weeks at a time.

The “Boom Clap” singer does this all while keeping connected with her LGBTQ+ fans, who are trying to stay afloat as well.

Directors Bradley & Pablo (Bradley Bell and Pablo Jones-Soler) — known for working with Kanye West, Dua Lip, Harry Styles and more — helmed the film after collaborating with Charli on past projects.

The duo recently sat down with TooFab to discuss how Charli let them roll the camera even in the most difficult situations, like the one where she breaks down in tears after a therapy session and can’t manage to tell herself, “I’m good enough.”

“Everything that was filmed, she was happy to include — any sort of the heavier emotion — she was happy to share,” Bradley began. “When it comes to the heavy or emotional stuff, she was very open, very willing to share it — what she was able to capture. And there was definitely parts of the process, which we weren’t able to capture it because it was too emotionally hard for her to actually tell it to the camera.”

An example they gave was the time they didn’t hear from Charli for four days after she told the directors she regretted doing the documentary.

“We were kind of worried that we were just going to have to put a black hole in the film for like five, 10 minutes.”

While they had worked with Charli before, Bradley & Pablo said they had not seen that level of “emotional vulnerability” from her yet.

“We knew that she had some anxiety issues and she was definitely like a workaholic, but we never knew to what extent — like what that actually causes for her.”

They explained that their previous engagements with her were “limited” in the time they spent together, as music videos tend to be “rushed.”

“So it was a really amazing opportunity to connect with her in a very different level.”

While they view her as a friend, the directors were careful not to consider her as only a “subject” of their latest film.

“We wanted to make sure we give justice to this moment and what she’s giving us,” explained Pablo.

And it appeared Charli gave something special to her fans and to herself, as she declares at the end of the film, “It takes a lot to say this, but I’m really proud of myself.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or has had thoughts of harming themselves or taking their own life, get help. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) provides 24/7, free, confidential support for people in distress.