“Not your typical coming-of-age tale involving gay teens.” — Shadow and Act
In this riveting dramatic tale, gay teens Naz and Maalik are friends, classmates, business partners and lovers. As the two closeted Muslim teens go about their regular daily routine on a Friday afternoon in Brooklyn they arouse the suspicions of an undercover FBI agent who begins to track them. This complex tale of race, religion and sexuality features a pair of tremendous performances from Kerwin Johnson Jr. as Naz and Curtiss Cook Jr. as Maalik. Intimate and meditative, Naz & Maalik examines the mysterious forces that animate teenage minds.
An exceptionally well-crafted drama, and an auspicious feature debut from writer-director Jay Dockendorf.