From Lone Wolf and Cub to The Professional to The Mandalorian, the concept of a hardened killer suddenly having to protect children is a well-worn story concept. However, I’ve never seen the concept done in the way writer-director Bessam Tariq does in Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother. Reuniting with Mahershala Ali in the aftermath of their unsuccessful attempt at rebooting Blade into the MCU, Your Mother is a film so exciting and so unique that I’m honestly glad we didn’t get that reboot.
Ali plays Latif, a devout Muslim hitman who, seconds after completing a job, gets the devastating news that his wife has suddenly died. This leaves him as the sole caretaker of his three children: teenage daughter Fathia (Adia), pre-teen son Qadir (Jahleel Kamara), and his infant daughter Aziza. Latif’s struggles with both his faith and his new role as full-time caretaker are complicated even further when his boss Mike (Laith Nakli) forces him to take on one more job: Protecting his porn-producer nephew Hatty (Abubakr Ali) from Hwan Yoon (John Cho), a war veteran-turned-Christian zealot who has his own righteous mission of purging the world of all sin.
The film’s title is in reference to an Islamic hadith, wherein a man asks the Prophet Muhammad three times who deserves the best of him, the Prophet replying each time with “Your mother.” I’ve never seen an American action film that featured Islam so heavily in a positive way and depicted it with actual nuance. In fact, the central theme of the film is the complicated role of faith in one’s life and the numerous contradictions we commit within those beliefs.
Latif follows a strict code–he only uses a sword instead of guns and only goes for targets he believes rightfully deserve it. That being said, the people in his life–like his brother Talib (Tramell Tillman) and his imam Abdul (Giancarlo Esposito) are quick to retort that he’s still doing it for money all the same. The film is rich with characters that operate within that nuance to varying degrees. It even extends to the antagonist Hwan Yoon, who is much more similar to Latif than the latter wants to admit.
“Reuniting with Mahershala Ali in the aftermath of their unsuccessful attempt at rebooting Blade into the MCU, Your Mother is a film so exciting and so unique that I’m honestly glad we didn’t get that reboot.”
Speaking of which, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother is chock full of fantastic performances from its entire ensemble. As expected, Mahershala Ali delivers yet another excellent performance. He puts on a cool, stoic front in hopes of protecting his children from his career, but there’s a deep interiority within that performance that slowly unveils throughout the course of it.
I was surprised at how captivating John Cho was in his villainous turn. I found myself most impressed by the two young actors playing Latif’s children. Jahleel Kamara provides a lot of great comedic relief as Qadir. Adia is downright phenomenal as the teenage Fathia, whose increasingly complex relationship with her father is one of the film’s biggest highlights.
Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother is an action film, but it’s similar to another samurai-influenced film like Ghost Dog in that it’s much more patient and funnier than you’d expect. Hell, a good chunk of the movie is just Latif desperately searching for breast milk to feed Aziza, as she refuses to drink formula. That being said, the few bursts of action we do get are simply electrifying.
Ali very much makes sure that his Blade training didn’t go to waste, as the fight sequences we get here are intense, beautifully framed and just downright stylish. The film overall is an audio-visual feast on all levels, from Katelin Arizmendi’s stunning cinematography keeping everything together to Son Lux’s score.
I think the only potential downside for some will be in how the film wraps up. It’s an ending that may come across for some as anticlimactic. While it didn’t completely land for me the first time, a second viewing really put things into perspective in how it relates to the aforementioned commentary about faith, and I found it much more rewarding as a result. In an increasingly IP-driven cinematic marketplace, films like Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother are reminders of how great truly original storytelling can be.
Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother is easily the best film I saw at TIFF 2026 and one of the best films of the year, period.
