"Ask any gay man with a social media account, and they likely have an opinion about Jordan Firstman. The backlash-courting queer actor/comedian, controversial most recently because of an online flare-up over querying the sexual realism of "Heated Rivalry," is labeled either candid or confrontational. He also has a record of taking on sexually explicit projects like Sebastian Silva's suicide-ideating, ketamine-fueled dark comedy "Rotting in the Sun." His status as a self-aware, hyper-online provocateur may not seem to suggest the makings of a bona fide filmmaker, but just wait."
"While that reputation might have Firstman on guard as he debuts his feature writing/directing debut "Club Kid," as it will certain circumspect corners of the audience, this terrific movie should put any of those nervous feelings to rest. Even his haters won't be able to resist what's announced here as a major filmmaking talent with a sensitive side that belies his brash, internet-based persona."
"He also stars as the protagonist of his hugely crowd-pleasing, excruciatingly funny, and poignant first film - one that plays to all sides of the room despite being brazenly, unapologetically queer - which will prime Firstman-savvy viewers to immediately interpret "Club Kid" as autobiographical. That's because it is. He plays party promoter Peter, now in his thirties after a decade-plus of MDMA-addled revelry, the kind where all the days blur and blot into one long and sweaty night with a coming horizon in the shape of regret."
"Firstman may not be playing himself this time, but he is playing a version of that self, having, as he says, spent enough years in Berlin to be labeled "the angel of Berghain" by his new friends, but now ready to put the days-that-became-years of GHB, MDMA, and other letters of the alphabet behind him. "Club Kid" is exactly about what happens when the lights go up on the party, the shameover of the morning after that be"
A queer comedy centers on Peter, a party promoter in his thirties who has spent more than a decade in MDMA-addled revelry where days blur into one long night. The story focuses on what happens when the lights come up and the morning-after shame arrives. Peter tries to move past GHB, MDMA, and other drug-fueled experiences, while navigating the emotional fallout of his past. The film is described as crowd-pleasing, funny, and poignant, and it is framed as autobiographical through the creator’s own experiences in Berlin. The result is presented as a sensitive, major filmmaking talent that contradicts a brash online reputation.
#queer-comedy #drug-fueled-nightlife #autobiographical-filmmaking #berlin-club-culture #coming-of-regret
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