My knowledge of Jordan Firstman doesn’t extend very far. While many have been following the provocative writer, comedian, and Internet darling for years, I first noticed him in Sebastian Silva’s dark comedy Rotting in the Sun, in which he played a version of himself. It wasn’t the best first impression, and to be honest, I went into Club Kid, his feature directorial debut, expecting very little. But damn, I was wrong. Not only is this movie deeply affecting in its story of a hard-partying New Yorker and the son he didn’t know he had, but it’s a genuinely great performance by Firstman, one of the best by any actor this year.
Firstman, who writes, directs, and stars in Club Kid, plays Peter, who in 2016 is head of the New York queer party community, running debaucherous events from Club Labor. His nights are full of copious amounts of drugs, liquor, and casual sex, with little regard for himself or anything that needs to be taken seriously. Peter is constantly in a drug-induced haze, and during one of these episodes, he has sex with a random guy and a woman, the first female he’s ever slept with. He’s so messed up, he doesn’t even remember it a decade later when that casual hook up becomes very important to the rest of his life.
When we meet Peter ten years later, he looks like he’s spent every day on a combination of cocaine, ketamine, and worse. He lives in the rent-controlled apartment left behind by his deceased mom, but is slacking on running the party business with his best friend, Sophie (Cara Delevingne), who presents as more responsible but has her own problems. Peter’s life is suddenly turned upside down when the son he never knew about is dumped into his lap. The boy, Arlo, is played by a terrific find, Reggie Absolom, who might be the film’s greatest revelation outside of Firstman himself.
Club Kid takes a pretty traditional path for this kind of heartwarming story in some ways, but the uncertain world Peter has built for himself is full of interesting twists and turns. Peter initially wants nothing to do with Arlo; he’s hardly able to take care of himself. The circles he runs in are definitely not safe for any child; Hell, they aren’t even safe for most adults. But I love the way Peter and Arlo begin to find common ground, and places where they can start to bond. Firstman’s love of NYC shows as Peter escorts Arlo around the city, showing him cool places to eat and weening him off the English food he’s accustomed to. Arlo, whose mom ran in similar circles as Peter, takes to the queer community easily, making friends and even learning how to DJ. Peter and Arlo share a similar love of music. I think most important, they both have pretty messed up backgrounds and are open about talking about them with one another.
I was shocked at how affecting Club Kid, with multiple scenes legit tugging at my heartstrings. Peter’s growth from an irresponsible druggie to a father whose reason for existence is his son, is executed beautifully and honestly. Sure, it’s a bit schmaltzy at times, but Firstman balances that with some tough, and very harsh, lessons about the way real life works. It doesn’t always end with a Happily Ever After, and sometimes doing what’s right for a child means making hard choices that hurt you personally.
Firstman and Absolom are joined by a terrific ensemble who breathe life into Peter and Arlo’s crazy world. Colleen Camp is a lot of fun as Peter’s sweet old neighbor, who is joined by his weird pal Nicky, a “philosopher from Azerbaijan” played by Eldar Isgandarov. This is a hot time for Isgandarov, who is also in another big awards season movie, The Debut. Prominent trans superstars including Miss Benny, Shygirl, and Saturn Risin9 form Peter’s innner circle, while we also get fun supporting roles from Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Arlo’s erratic guardian, and Diego Calva as a potential love interest.
Following the film’s impressive world premiere at Cannes, A24 snatched it up for a whopping $17M, a huge sum for a first-time director. As I said, Firstman wasn’t really on my radar, but my eye is on him now to see what he does going forward. That’s how good Club Kid is; it has the potential to win a lot of people over who aren’t necessarily Firstman fans. While the drugs, sex, and queerness might be a turn-off to some, if they give it a chance, they’ll see just how sincere this father/son drama really is.
A24 will release Club Kid on November 6th.
