OVERVIEW
Peter Green (Jordan Firstman) is a club kid in the traditional sense: a gay Manhattan party promoter and fixture of the downtown nightlife scene since at least 2016, still at it a decade later. All of that changes when he comes home to find a 10-year-old British boy on his doorstep: Arlo (Reggie Absolom), the son he never knew he had, the product of a one-night stand he cannot recall.
BACKGROUND
Known for his hyper-online gay provocateur persona that blew up during the pandemic, Jordan Firstman did not seem the most likely director for A24’s biggest acquisition at Cannes 2026. Somewhere along a decade of television writers’ rooms, two pilots that never made it to air, and Sundance shorts that never quite broke through, he decided the traditional development path was not going to serve him and went indie instead. Club Kid was financed by Topic Studios (A Real Pain), with Oscar-winning Alex Coco (Anora) producing, and shot on 35mm over 26 days inside real New York club nights. The film was a rare American entry in an unusually international year at the festival, and it premiered in Un Certain Regard to a six-minute ovation that triggered the only serious bidding war of an otherwise stalled market. A24 closed worldwide rights at $17 million.
THE REVIEW
From its opening shot, the film feels more assured than Firstman’s social media résumé would suggest. In a single fluid take, cinematographer Adam Newport-Berra (The Last Black Man in San Francisco, The Studio) follows Peter and his entourage from the front seat of an Uber into Club Labor, where Rihanna’s “Sex With Me” is already blasting. The energy is manic, like the rush of Sean Baker’s Anora meeting a Scorsese long-take entrance. The second Peter turns to face the camera while having the time of his life, the film clicks into place, and you realize you are in good hands.
The film moves from that sugar rush into the hungover morning after, then into a modern take on Kramer vs. Kramer, and Firstman moves through those conflicting tones with real confidence. By the third act, you may be surprised by how invested you are in the storyline, and the seriousness of the situation, which Firstman never downplays, makes the emotional scenes land harder than expected.
He builds the film around Peter, and as a consequence, around his own persona and charisma, unfamiliar to viewers outside the TikTok world. Peter is brash on the surface, but there is clearly a decent heart underneath. He commands every room he enters, instantly justifying why so many people are drawn to him, while also showing why he remains fundamentally isolated. The script is smart enough not to side with him or forgive some of his actions too easily. If anything, the film could have spent more time on his needed growth and on how unprepared he is to be a father. Taking him to a psychologist is a good start, but what changes are needed from his side, beyond writing in his phone’s Notes app that he has to stop partying?
The film also only hints at the trauma Arlo has inherited from his circumstances. One scene shows him fighting at a park, and he is taken to therapy, but the film avoids inviting us into those moments. As a result, Arlo ends up a little too sweet. It is a smart choice, at first, to have ten years pass and make Arlo less naive than is usually seen in movies with the same premise, but that choice introduces complications that the film is not always interested in exploring. Still, Reggie Absolom’s chemistry with Firstman is undeniable, the humor between them works, and their connection always feels genuine.
Full of memorable supporting characters, from roommate Nicky to the old neighbor played by Colleen Camp to Peter’s nightlife circle, the film keeps a terrific energy throughout. It moves at a fast pace, thankfully with the right duration, never outstaying its welcome. Other than a finale that may be a little too easy, and a few moments where it wears its references too closely, especially the Anora-like aerial shot signaling that things are about to go wrong, Club Kid slaps.
FINAL THOUGHTS
An absolute banger and a highlight of Cannes 2026, Club Kid is funnier, warmer, and more emotionally controlled than its premise or Firstman’s public persona might suggest. It does not explore every difficult corner of its story, especially when it comes to Arlo’s trauma and Peter’s growth as a father, but it has energy, confidence, and a real sense of character. Firstman proves he can build more than a persona, and his debut feels like a much-needed arrival of a fresh voice in cinema, bound to make great films.
Still courtesy of Elevation Pictures
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- Where to watch
- Coming soonNov 13, 2026
- Where to watch
- Coming soon
Play trailer
- Original title
- Club Kid
- Director
- Jordan Firstman
- Cast
- Jordan Firstman, Reggie Absolom, Diego Calva, Cara Delevingne, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Colleen Camp, Vicki Pepperdine, Nigil Whyte
- Rated
- R
- Screenwriter
- Jordan Firstman
- Composer
- Cristóbal Tapia de Veer
- Cinematography
- Adam Newport-Berra
- Editor
- Taylor Levy, Sofía Subercaseaux
- Country
- Language
- English
- Distributor (CA)
- Elevation Pictures