Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother (2026) Amazon-MGM/Action-Thriller RT: 111 minutes Rated R (violence/bloody images, language, some sexual content) Director: Bassam Tariq Screenplay: Bassam Tariq Music: Son Lux Cinematography: Katelin Arizmendi Release date: September 25, 2026 (US, limited)/October 16, 2026 (US, wide) Cast: Mahershala Ali, John Cho, Giancarlo Esposito, Abubakr Ali, Trammell Tillman, Tiffany Boone, Laith Nakli, Adia, Jahleel Kamara, Brooklyn and Jackson Hughes, John Henry Wade, Ashley P. Jones, Aaron Goodson.
Rating: *** ½
I suppose we have Marvel to thank for Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother. It would never had materialized if not for all the delays getting the now-cancelled Blade off the ground. Bassam Tariq (Mogul Mowgli) was tapped to direct Mahershala Ali (Moonlight) as the title character. By 2025, both men left the long-in-limbo project and decided to make their own film. The result is a fascinating hybrid of family drama, violent action and religious commentary.
Ali stars as Latif, a hitman and practicing Muslim who receives devastating, faith-shaking news while finishing up a job in St. Louis. His teenage daughter Fatiha (Adia, The Midnight Club) calls to inform his that his wife has died. He returns home to Houston where he’s suddenly the sole caretaker of their three children; Fatiha, preteen son Qadir (Kamara, Shadow Force) and infant daughter Aziza (the Hughes twins). Fatherhood proves to be a tougher job than his previous gig, especially once he learns baby Aziza can’t digest formula and needs breast milk. He explores many avenues in achieving this end, ultimately taking her to a stripper (Boone, Hunters) who’s lactating. That’s where his two lives (devoted father and deadly hitman) intersect.
Latif works for an Arabic crime boss named Mike (Nakli, 12 Strong) who needs him to put his special set of skills to use. It seems his d-bag nephew Hatty (Abubakr Ali, A House of Dynamite) has been targeted by an anti-porn Charismatic Christian preacher named Hwan Yoon (Cho, Searching). Hwan is convinced Hatty’s Muslim-themed porn studio is a front for a human trafficking ring. Mike wants Latif to take out Hwan. Latif turns him down. He just wants to feed his daughter. He’s forced to fight back when Hwan poses a threat to his family.
I’ve heard people compare Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother to John Wick and I see their point. However, I was thinking of Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, the 2000 existential actioner from Jim Jarmusch. Tariq’s film has the same vibe only it replaces Eastern philosophy with religion. Latif struggles with his faith after his wife dies. He doesn’t see the point in praying to a god that deprived his children of a mother. Also, there’s the whole thing about killing people and still claiming to be a righteous man. Can an assassin even make that claim? He’s a bad guy killing worse people. Does that make it right? It’s a lot to think about for Latif and the viewer.
Ali’s performance stands out as one of the year’s finest, skillfully infusing nuance and depth into his portrayal through his movements, body language and fight choreography, all complemented by his captivating expressions. There’s a quietly active aspect to his performance even when he’s not killing or even speaking. For the film to work, we have to believe that both Latif’s peril and his skill set are 100% genuine. It’s that veracity that keeps Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother humming with energy from start to finish and every frame in between.
Adia turns in a career-making performance as the eldest daughter. With her father compromised and the family directly targeted, Fatiha becomes the narrative lynchpin upon whom the entire conclusion of the movie depends. She transitions Fatiha from a passive victim of circumstance into an active, fierce protector of her brother and sister. I see big things for this young actress, possibly even an Oscar nod for Best Supporting Actress.
Cho delivers a startling performance as an antagonistic preacher, a holy man who isn’t so holy. His congregation is more of a cult whose members tote guns and wage a religious war against whatever Hwan sees as impure. It’s hard to believe he’s the same guy who played stoner in the Harold & Kumar comedies. Giancarlo Esposito (Better Call Saul) is equally great as Latif’s imam who tries to steer him away from his life of crime. A. Ali is believably douche-y as the vaping, entitled boss’ nephew who finds out how bad he’s not.
The look of the film is a brilliant marriage of confident direction by Tariq, gorgeous cinematography by Katelin Arizmendi and fluid editing by Caleb McLauchlin. It possesses a sweaty immediacy in nearly every frame. Tariq is clearly fluent in film language.
Tariq’s film skillfully weaves together its themes and characters, reflecting not only the contemporary landscape of belief in the 2020s but also drawing inspiration from faith narratives throughout history. At its core, the story explores a man’s earnest struggle to do right by his family and community, feeling uniquely relevant in today’s context.
The title poses a profound question asked to the Prophet: “Who deserves the best of you?” Repeated three times, the answer remains unwavering, “Your mother.” After all, she’s the giver of life, sometimes more than once.
