A24 might have a record on its hand by premiering two of its best films at London Film Festival this year – The Debut, and the film in question, Club Kid– both quintessentially original, grounded stories by two of the most intriguing voices to emerge in contemporary cinema. The latter is a love letter – to club life in New York, to the queer experience of life at full volume and to a debauchery one might engage in during their 20s. Written, directed and led by Jordan Firstman as his debut feature, he plays Peter, a man who has all the connections to give people and dolls (in the least offensive way possible) a taste of what a club night in New York is and should be. The film first opens in 2016: the year Rihanna’s Anti and Beyonce’s Lemonade competed for Album of the Year debate, and the year Peter’s life changes without him knowing. He finds out of course, ten years later, at a complete physical and moral low in his life, through Arlo, his son (Reggie Absolom in his film debut), whose performance is arguably as engaging as Owen Cooper’s in last year’s Adolescence.
The film follows a storyline found in recent films like Bookworm and Scrapper, but the focus is on the parental journey over anything else, as Peter attempts to square up and raise Arlo. But what Firstman does very uniquely is bring the idea of parenthood from a queer perspective into the mix, incorporating other works into his own to create a layered, multi-disciplinary story – there is Mysterious Skin, for instance, as a formative experience for discovering one’s sexuality, or Greta Gerwig’s Ladybird playing on a TV, to showcase a distinct voice in coming-of-age journeys. The ensemble cast are a delight to watch, especially Cara Delevingne (American Horror Story), Diego Calva (Babylon) and Eldar Isgandarov (who also features in The Debut). The most eye-catching however is Kirby, who plays Edison with barely five minutes of screentime but certainly makes her presence known. Meanwhile, the script elicits a tight, nuanced blend of belly-laugh humour and emotional beats that stay with you through tears and joy. The impeccable soundtrack features iconic needle drops, such as Ethel Cain’s Thoroughfare, that prompted a sing-along in my screening. True to itself, this is a rare dramedy with equal measures heart, humour and agape love with the people who stay in our lives and change us for the better.
Club Kid screened at the London Film Festival and will be released in UK cinemas on 8 January 2027.
