Shadows on the Wall

Club Kid

Review by Rich Cline | MUST SEE

dir-scr Jordan Firstman
prd Alex Coco, Galen Core, Michael Bloom, Ryan Heller
with Jordan Firstman, Reggie Absolom, Cara Delevingne, Diego Calva, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Colleen Camp, Saturn Risin9, Eldar Isgandarov, Vicki Pepperdine, Nigil Whyte, Miss Benny, Alaska Riley
release US 6.Nov.26,
UK 8.Jan.27
26/US A24 2h02

CANNES FILM FEST
TORONTO FILM FEST

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There's a huge emotional resonance running right through this offbeat club-scene drama, carrying the audience on a vivid journey with a group of outrageously engaging characters. With his filmmaking debut, actor Jordan Firstman has created a strikingly adult story that feels almost thrillingly honest in its approach, recognising highs and lows along with a general sense of the messiness of everyday life. There isn't a single false note.

In Brooklyn, Peter (Firstman) plans lively club nights with his childhood friend Sophie (Delevingne), but they are beginning to get lost in their nonstop partying, drug-fuelled lifestyle. Then one day, Edison (Howell-Baptiste) turns up from London to drop off 10-year-old Arlo (Absalom), the son the resolutely gay Peter never knew he fathered. Suddenly snapped into sobriety, Peter finds that he rather enjoys taking responsibility for this bright, creative kid. So Arlo becomes part of his life, with his neighbour Evelyn (Camp) and friends Nicky (Isgandarov) and Saffron (Risin9). Can his future really look this bright?

It's rare for a film to so adeptly depict the exuberant joys and darker textures of the party scene, never moralising but also never shying away from both realities and ramifications. Cinematographer Adam Newport-Berra creates a grainy earthiness, often in handheld closeup to put the audience in the middle of the scene as the eclectic music mix provides a visceral underscore. Yes, the film is a definite vibe, and the characters' warmth elevates it to something unforgettable.

Firstman is so likeable that we even understand Peter's oddly benevolent take on drug dealing. Hhis connections carry surprising weight; even when he's exasperated at a friend, he remains kind and involved. So watching this young boy upend his world is involving, never played for laughs. Absalom is a remarkable young actor who remains alertly present, so the audience falls for him right along with Peter. And Calva is terrific as a social worker who tries not to flirt with Peter. As if.

For a story so firmly set within an often shocking subculture, the themes are strikingly moving. This is largely due to the way Firstman compiles the film with grounded performances, open-handed dialog and a defiant refusal to avoid difficult thoughts and feelings. And it tackles the deeper issues in ways that resist the usual simplistic or preachy depictions. Instead, we are invited in to understand the emotions ourselves. So the film leaves us utterly wrung out in the best possible way. [15 themes, ] .26 Cannes/Toronto/London

themes, language, sexuality 19.Oct.26

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