Jordan Firstman’s feature debut, “Club Kid,” follows Peter, a gay New York nightlife fixture whose party-focused life is upended by the arrival of a child he did not know he had. The film places that family story within a portrait of changing queer nightlife, exploring isolation, visibility and the need for genuine connection.
Firstman, who also wrote and directed the film, told IndieWire that he wanted his next project to feel softer than his previous screen work. He said he no longer wanted to win people over, but instead focused on telling the story in the way he wanted.
The film traces Peter’s life from the mid-2010s to the present, reflecting changes in club culture and the substances used in some nightlife spaces. Firstman said he wanted to portray the danger and loneliness that can exist in those environments without reducing the people in them to cautionary examples. Beneath the partying, he said, are queer people who are funny, sensitive, artistic and complex.
The relationship between Peter and his son, played by newcomer Reggie Absolom, provides the film’s emotional center. Firstman said he chose Absolom after reviewing hundreds of audition tapes and described being moved by the young actor’s connections with the film’s queer and trans cast.
Firstman also reflected on the personal perspective he brought to the project. He said he has struggled with his relationship to queer community, which he described as complicated and rich, and that making the film helped him become more open. “I’ve softened a lot in the process of making it,” he told IndieWire.
“Club Kid” premiered at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section. A24 is set to release the film in theaters on November 6.
Sources: IndieWire.