Might what we know as Disco actually contain hidden meanings, despite attempts by “revisionists” to re-shape it as as a misunderstood culture of protest? 

Through interviews with the likes of Gloria Gaynor, The Village People, Kool and the Gang, and others, along with a goldmine of stock footage and speculative reenactments, The Secret Disco Revolution presents a comical investigation into disco and its “mysterious longevity.”

A glittery pop journey into the moral-political-aesthetic soul of Disco, the most famously flakey pop form that will not die. From the current “silent disco” craze to evergreen concert queen Donna Summer, filmmaker Jamie Kastner bops verite-style from present to past, trying to uncover disco’s hidden allure, and discover whether this epitome of shallowness contains any enduring depths. The film’s form and style is as revolutionary as its content. This quietly hilarious doc-satire features an unreliable Nabokovian narrator; “reenactments” that are speculative to the point of complete fantasy; and a unique tone of sustained irony that both presents a fresh look at a well-known era, and compels the audience to question it, without ever having to leave the dance floor.

The Canadian-produced feature documentary was directed by Jamie Kastner. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last fall, and opens in theaters, today, Friday, June 28. 

The locations follow (the new release trailer is underneath):

NEW YORK – Quad Cinema

LOS ANGELES – Laemmle NoHo 7

SAN FRANCISCO – Landmark Opera Plaza Cinema

BERKLEY – Landmark Shattuck Cinemas

MINNEAPOLIS – Landmark Lagoon Cinema

SEATTLE – Landmark Varsity Theater

MIAMI – O Cinema

FT. LAUDERDALE – Cinema Paradiso

PALM SPRINGS – Camelot Theater

PORTLAND – Clinton Street Theater

COLUMBUS – Gateway Film Center

Here’s its fun trailer: