Hanif, a middle-aged Black Muslim, and casket maker living in an impoverished community in Newark, dances vigorously to hip hop while building and sanding caskets for a neighborhood mosque. He is also entrusted to wash the bodies of the dead as per religious custom, a solemn and quiet task. It’s easy to like Hanif, who has an air about him of past troubles but is now not only dedicated to his work but also to mentoring a pair of troubled boys.
One is Furquan, a 12-year-old who seems both older and younger than his years, and the harder Naz, a 17-year-old who is somehow dismayed at his track record breaking the law. Offering guidance, he teaches them the value of their own lives, even when nothing much else in their world underscores value or security. He nails down these lessons, and the finality of death, by bringing each young man into his workplace, working on caskets, and handling corpses according to Muslim doctrine.
Filmmaker Zeshawn Ali captures all this in murky black and white images that resonate with the unpredictability of every day and the fallibility of each of us. When Hanif fails at one point to live up to the standards he has set for himself and for the boys, Two Gods will sadden a viewer and yet remind us that what matters is we keep trying. This edgy, often heartbreaking film redeems itself with constant restorations of faith. Strongly recommended. Aud: I, J, H, C, P.