“Naz & Maalik” does what all great New York movies do: ground unique, engaging stories in the middle of the glorious chaos that is our city — in this case, mainly the Fort Greene and Bed-Stuy neighborhoods of Brooklyn.
Naz (Kerwin Johnson Jr.) and Maalik (Curtiss Cook Jr.) are best-friend college students who make pocket money hawking odds and ends on the street. They’re also devout Muslims who regularly attend their local mosque — and they’re in love, which presents a troublesome conflict with their religious teachings.
The two spend a day rambling through Brooklyn discussing matters large and small; writer-director Jay Dockendorf follows them in a manner vaguely reminiscent of Richard Linklater’s “Before Sunrise.” But there’s so much else going on, from various neighborhood characters they encounter to an FBI agent (Annie Grier) clumsily trolling for terrorists. The latter plot gives a jolt of topicality, with an imam opening a mosque service by acknowledging undercover cops may be in attendance — and welcoming them. Smart, wholly original and graced with two commanding performances, this is one tiny indie worth seeking out.