Is ‘Club Kid’ a ‘Conservative’ Movie? Only If You’re Still Living in the ’60s

Jordan Firstman’s film “Club Kid” follows Peter, a New York queer party promoter whose carefree life is disrupted when he learns he has a nine-year-old son, Arlo. As they begin to build a relationship, Peter finds himself considering whether he can grow up and care for someone else.

The article argues that the film’s vivid portrayal of queer club culture is both a celebration of its history as an expression of freedom and a questioning of party culture’s costs. It sees the film as looking beyond Peter’s personal change to a wider pattern of six decades of partying, where liberation and self-destruction can coexist.