A day-in-the-life look at the unique experience of being young, gay, black, and Muslim in Brooklyn, “Naz & Maalik” starts off with a relaxed, laid back approach, but sly moments of high-stakes drama and import imbue the otherwise chill vibe with a sense of creeping dread. Anchored by lead performances from newcomers Kerwin Johnson, Jr. and Curtiss Cook, Jr., writer-director Jay Dockendorf’s film is intimate, authentic, and feels decidedly relevant in today’s current context.
Naz (Cook) and Maalik (Johnson) are two best friends kicking it around their hood, hustling selling lotto tickets, prayer cards, and other items, trying to make a little scratch. They bop around, going to prayer, wandering through the park, chatting, philosophizing about life. There are two complications though: Naz and Maalik are sleeping together, which they have to be highly secretive about, and due to a weird encounter with an undercover cop, are being surveilled by a bumbling female FBI agent.
The...
