What do you do when the big plans you made fall to pieces? This is both the question faced by the antihero at the heart of Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, and the men who made it.
Written and directed by Bassam Tariq, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother stars two-time Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali as Latif, a Muslim family man and hit man on a mission. Dedicated to protecting his community, Latif wields a sword in their defense. But when his wife dies unexpectedly, he drops everything (including properly disposing of a recently slain body) to care for their three children.
On a less dramatic level, one might imagine Tariq and Ali relate. The two met while in development on the MCU's Blade movie. But once they realized it wasn't coming together, Tariq approached Ali with his original script for Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother.
Here, in the story of a hit man having to question his choices while using violence to defend his loved ones, Ali finds a place to put the muscle he built prepping for Blade to use. But beyond that, he brings to life a complex character who adds to the rich tapestry of the American antihero.
Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother is a family drama, and a gangster drama, and an action movie.
Credit: Orion / Amazon MGM Studios
Tariq begins his film with a compelling collision of sight and sound. Onscreen, Ali bursts into frame, bringing down a skinhead in an empty public bathroom. The violence is efficient, communicating this is not the first time Latif has taken on such a task.
Over this scene, audio plays, explaining the title, which comes from the Quran. An unseen girl reads a passage about how the Prophet was asked who to honor after Allah, and three times, the prophet said, "Your mother," before he said, "Your father."
Even before the phone call comes to announce how his world has changed β even if you aren't familiar with the Quran quotation β you understand Latif is ill-equipped to replace the void his wife's death leaves. Soon, we see how, as he struggles to speak to his teen daughter (a marvelous Adia) about her burgeoning sexuality, and to find a source for what his infant needs most: mother's milk.
While struggling to cope with his grief and the overwhelm of single parenting, Latif desperately tries to exit his violent vocation. But as every gangster movie makes clear, it's not an easy thing to walk away from being a hit man. The one last job demanded of his handler won't be ignored. So, as he seeks breast milk to feed his child, he must also face off against hired guns, and a Christian cult leader (John Cho) on a violent crusade.
Tariq's plot line seamlessly blends elements of a gangster drama with exhilaratingly intense action sequences and a tender father-daughter drama that is absolutely breathtaking. Like Sinners, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother moves smoothly, weaving together genre elements with character development in a richly realized world to create a film that is familiar yet scorchingly unique.
Under Tariq's direction, there is not only poignant dialogue or a surprising story. It's a film alive with tiny but crucial visual details. It's in the blade by Latif's side, or the saucy video his daughter sneaks on her laptop through stolen WiFi, and in the platinum grill that Cho sports on his teeth, glistening not only in precious metals but also diamonds forming a cross on each tooth. Each is evocative, urging the audience to think deeper about who each figure is βΒ even as they rush to escape, fight, or rescue each other. Each element is an invitation to make the movie our own by how we choose to translate them.
Mahershala Ali is absolutely riveting in Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother.
Credit: Orion / Amazon MGM Studios
When Ali revealed his Blade movie with the MCU seems dead, fans online grieved publicly. But from the ashes of Marvel's fumble comes an action hero that is all Ali's own, with one of the best performances of his career.
Brandishing blades and his muscle-bound arms, Ali tears into fight scenes with a focus that is exhilarating on its own. But Tariq enhances the stakes by putting Latif's children in immediate peril. It's not enough for Latif to rip through a flood of Christian militants, armed to the teeth with guns. He must do it while keeping an eye on his defenseless baby. And if that means putting lubricant and broken glass on leather gloves as an impromptu weapon, that's what it means. (And it's awesome.)
The resounding presence that Ali has brought to Moonlight, Green Book, and Luke Cage is radiant here. In moments of battle, he is quiet, his body primed to spring into action like a snake leaping from a coiled posture. There's moments where it seems Latif is most comfortable in warrior mode, where he can rely on his body and might. In scenes where he must cajole or convince, he's stiffer, clearly uncomfortable in being in a position of needing help.
In these scene's, Ali's stiffness reverberates with a tension born from Latif's fear that he is not enough. How can he compare to his wife when it comes to caring for their children? His fear of failing them drives every moment, major and seemingly mundane. But Ali makes sure no moment feels mundane.
Credit: Orion / Amazon MGM Studios
A scene of prayer at the mosque where he holds his hungry infant daughter as he silently cries becomes a moment of silent and stillness that reflects Tariq's keen understanding of great filmmaking. He pulls from Eastern masters like Akira Kurosawa and Hayao Miyazaki, creating a moment of ma β a quiet space to allow the audience to see what the world is like before violence shatters its peace. Except, in this moment it's not a soft rain falling, it's a man whose faith is shattered by loss, crying by himself as he's surrounded by his community. In this moment, Latif cannot keep up the faΓ§ade that he is okay. And his eldest daughter is the one who sees this. (I can sense the elder daughters out there nodding in recognition.)
Make no mistake. The action in Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother is electrifying, sparked with stakes, grit, and style. This is thanks in no small part to Ali's athleticism in the role, and Tariq's embrace of saturated colors, painting everything from mosques to strip clubs to a tacky mansion in vivid hues of red, gold, blue, and greens. But the heart of Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother is the relationship between Latif and his eldest daughter, who, on the brink of womanhood, sees him, flaws and all.
With her mom gone, she steps up as a second parent in the house, which brings tension and guilt to Latif's dealings with her. They also share a disillusionment with Islam, largely because of the cruelty of their lost mother. Latif certainly sees himself in her, and this weighs on him too. But it's not all heavy emotions.
Tariq and Ali smartly weave in not just levity, but the goofy intimacy that breathes in the bonds of father and daughter. A sendoff scene might have been too maudlin or earnest were it not for the pair sharing a laugh over a perfectly executed dad joke. Again, the moment of ma, as Latif sets off for the climactic battle, and Tariq takes the time to remind us exactly what is being fought for.
Adia is a superb scene partner, not only to Ali, whose intense glare she matches, but also in scenes shared with young Jahleel Kamara, her onscreen little brother. She gives her sister depth by showing her as both patient and caring and annoyed. In scenes with her Mormon crush, she shrinks in shyness. And these shades make her boldness in communication with her dad reflect not only their shared fire, but also the closeness of their bond.
Credit: Orion / Amazon MGM Studios
Then there's John Cho, who brings a fresh menace as the cult leader. Rather than delivering a big, brash performance, Cho's performance is more nuanced. He lets the sparkling grill and flashy cowboy attire βΒ bedecked with Christian iconography βΒ speak loud, so he can speak in a deceitfully folksy whisper. It's enchanting and alarming, because it's easy to imagine being sucked into the easy warmth in his tone. But the things he's saying with a smile are downright scary. His showdown with Latif is inevitable, and as it gets closer, the tension will catch the breath in your throat. And it won't be the last time.
Because of how Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother came about, some might write it off as the "not-Blade Blade movie." But that's their mistake.
Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother is a blisteringly original and absolutely gorgeous film. Tariq shows a comprehensive understanding of what draws Americans to not only action movies but also antihero/crime dramas. He delivers spectacles of violence, but grounds them in gripping, human stakes. Then, through that, he weaves a magnificent character-driven thread that is accentuated by color, details, and an extraordinary cast. Simply put, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother is a stunner, and easily one of my favorite films of 2026.
Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother was reviewed out its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. The movie opens in select theaters on Sept. 25. and everywhere in October.
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