Club Kid

Verantwortung zu übernehmen, war noch nie Peters Stärke. Alkohol, Drogen, Feiern, damit kennt er sich aus. In der New Yorker Clubszene hat er es mit seinem feinen Partygespür sogar bis zum Promotor geschafft. Dass er sich da nicht an jeden One-Night-Stand erinnert, ist klar. Doch dann sitzt der 10-jährige Arlo bei ihm auf dem Sofa, der angeblich sein Sohn ist. Höchste Zeit für Peter, sein Leben auf die Reihe zu bekommen. Aber wer erzieht hier eigentlich wen? Angelegt als so absurde wie liebevolle und dabei zutiefst berührende Persiflage auf die Orientierungslosigkeit der Millennials war CLUB KID heuer der große Überraschungshit in Cannes. (Pamela Jahn)

Taking responsibility has never been Peter’s strong point. Alcohol, drugs, partying—those are more his thing. He’s a club kid, as the title of Jordan Firstman’s feature debut suggests: a guy who has somehow failed to grow up. Still, he’s made himself a name in the New York night scene and even earns a decent living with his job as a promoter alongside his business partner Sophie (Cara Delevingne). But the party seems to be over when young Arlo (Reggie Absolom) suddenly turns up, who is supposedly Peter’s son and the result of a one-night stand ten years ago that he cannot remember for the life of him. After all, he’s gay and always has been. Now that Arlo’s mother has suddenly passed away, though, it’s time for Peter to wake up and get his act together. The only question is who’s actually bringing up whom in this quirky tragicomedy. What sets CLUB KID aside from other surprise parenting stories is partly its setting—a vibrant gay techno scene full of flamboyant, drug-fuelled yet essentially warm- hearted characters who take Arlo under their wing. Conceived as a satire on millennials’ lack of direction and purpose, Firstman (who also plays the lead role) hits the mark with this bittersweet father-son story that is as affectionate as it is deeply moving. (Pamela Jahn)

Jordan Firstman: CALL YOUR FATHER (2016, K), MEN DON’T WHISPER (2017, K)