Naz & Maalik

This film had some pot holes, but it was still cute. The boys relationship is very sweet at times, even when they fight.

Poorly written. Bad screenplay. With loads of clichés in most scenes. Also, the amateur actors are nothing but blank. And emotionless. I would say they did not justify with the issue at all. Wasted my time on this pathetic piece of trash! Poorly written. Bad screenplay. With loads of clichés in most scenes. Also, the amateur actors are nothing but blank. And emotionless. I would say they did not justify with the issue at all. Wasted my time on this pathetic piece of trash! Poorly written. Also, the amateur actors are nothing but blank. And emotionless. I would say they did not justify with the issue at all. Wasted my time on this pathetic piece of trash.Bad screenplay.

In my work, I've seen over a thousand teen films, and it's been heartening how many recent examples explore LGBTQ+ youth. Most of them (like this one) deal with family, and some (unlike this one) deal with school, but few take on concerns about religion, and none that I know of have featured gay teens within a Muslim context.

For a low-budget on-location film, there is a lot to appreciate, such as the creative cinematography and the attention to local details. Sure, the acting can be a bit clunky, and a subplot with an FBI agent is rather overblown, but the story feels real, with these young men trying to navigate their attraction to each other, the attitudes of their Muslim cohort, and their treatment by American society.

It does not cohere into a Grand Statement on young Black gay Muslim culture, which is perhaps why some people are disappointed in the ending. Rather, we see literally one day (albeit an eventful one) in which two distinctive and otherwise unseen characters face their adult future, and such a vision is worthy of your attention.

So bad in fact it is hard to believe movie pay sites like the new pay Vimeo and Amazon Video on Demand would hoodwink people into paying for this film. One wants to support independent film-makers to be sure and young actors need to be encouraged, but the script of this film above all is so bad, it drags everything in the film down with it. There are so many scenes in the film that are not only boring and clichéd but totally irrelevant to the main story line and character development. In addition, there are just far too many repetitive scenes, such as on the street and in stores. The theme of the film -- two young Muslim men in New York who bond with each other and love each other -- has possibilities to be sure, particularly for a general American audience unfamiliar with Islam. But the theme is completely wasted in this effort.

Evidently not for everyone, but I found this to be an engaging NYC slice of life. Too good not to at least try it.