“Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother” (2026) stars Mahershala Ali, who has been in Marvel Cinematic Universe purgatory with writer and director Bassam Tariq waiting for a “Blade” movie that never came. Experiencing a crisis of faith, a widowed, Muslim convert, hitman father, Latif (Ali), with an implied shady past and three kids, is trying to stay out of trouble and find breastmilk to feed the youngest, but winds up in the crosshairs of a Houston religious war between a Christian cult, the Church of Divine Fire, and shady Muslims. Will he find a way to become who he needs to be: a man who stays with his kids because their mother cannot? A man will literally be a one-man army instead of just staying home with the kids and getting therapy. It is clear what Tariq was trying to do, but the execution is a bit shaky because of the budget and does not quite stick the landing.
It is good to see Ali take center stage, but I did not realize that I had such strict action standards until watching “Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother.” While Ali’s portrait as a stressed father, grieving husband, and conflicted man of faith is on par with all his past great work, the action is functional and realistic, but largely unconvincing. The fight choreography and camerawork show that these are actors, not fighters, though they give it their all. Latif is discussed as if he is a good assassin, and he sure knows how to dress for the part, but it is never shown. Maybe his pain clouds his fighting and strategy abilities, but with all due respect, there is not one moment in “Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother” when he is not trying to recover from coming up from behind. Even the opening sequence reflects that he is a mess, which is the point, but creates a frustrating viewing experience. Maybe Latif is good for the price and location? Tariq writes Latif’s judgment as if it is questionable. He constantly puts his kids in danger without realizing that it is a bad idea. Tariq prefers to have the camera move at the same time as the fight and does not take a Fred Astaire approach of capturing everything and remaining still, which is my preference.
After Latif, Fatiha (Adia), his oldest child, is the most important character in “Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother.” Tariq never interrogates the idea of the eldest daughter getting all the responsibilities of adulthood as a surrogate mother to the baby, Aziza (Brooklyn and Jaxon Hughes), and her little brother, Qadir (Jahleel Kamara), but none of its privileges. Instead, Latif’s sternness is shown as him stepping up as a father and protecting her from bad influences. He is not depicted as a bad father, but an imperfect one, which is not a problem except if you ask what happens after the movie ends. Does she still not get to socialize with kids her own age? Is she still a surrogate mother to her siblings, which is parentification and abuse? It is implied through their jokes that the future is becoming a wife and mother, which is fine if she wants it, but during a visit to a house with a kids’ birthday party, it is alarming how all the kids reflexively sit off to the side without interacting. Emotionally the decision make sense because given the context of the scene, no one would want to celebrate except these kids are never shown doing anything that looks kid appropriate. Yes, everyone is mourning, and it could be a symbol of that, but given how she interacts with her neighbors, a bunch of Mormon missionaries, it is unlikely. The peaceful coexistence between the Mormon and Muslim neighbors suggests a practical image of utopia though a pitiful one with children playing church as an excuse to eat junk food and have mild fun while the real adults of all faiths pat themselves on the back while allowing the children to raise themselves. This theme did not seem entirely intentional.
If you come to “Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother” with zero preconceptions or information, it is hard to completely grasp what Tariq is trying to convey with his serious as a heart attack central figures meets the exaggerated villains. There is not an ounce of humor in this film, which is expected because it is about a family reeling from the grief of losing their mother from an unstated illness, but for a film that has a pornographer Muslim, Hatty (Abubakr Ali), with such a gaudy mansion that Presidon’t would not even consider renovating it, and a country/rap aesthetic Christianist cult leader, Hwan Yoon (John Cho), who decides to bring the Crusades back, it feels there should be a bit of levity. Instead, Tariq is so compelled with world building, and it is a rich world that feels like such a caricature of real-life that it may not resonate on a bone deep level. The elements clash and get thrown together with such cartoonish urgency that it is challenging to imagine how any of them, including Latif, coexisted and survived this long in the business.
Moviegoers with knowledge of Muslim theology will likely have an advantage over others in appreciating the story line and being truly moved. The title originates from a Hadith, which is a report about the Prophet Muhammad and is the second most important source of Islamic law after the Quran. A Hadith has two parts: matn, the actual story, which “Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother” focuses on, and Isnad, the provenance of the story. Here is the bare bones summary. A man asked the Prophet Muhammad, “Who deserves the best of me?” The Prophet answered, “Your mother.” “Then who?” “Your mother.” “Then who?” “Your mother.” “Then who?” “Your father.” The significance of the title to this family’s specific circumstances is spelled out in dialogue between the children during the denouement. It is followed soon thereafter with an eleventh-hour supernatural element that if the concept was introduced earlier other than in clips on YouTube with a wink, would be more stirring. It is moving, but without a suitable tone building up to it, it feels more like a pulled punch, so people do not leave the theater completely miserable.
“Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother” seems to want to be a tepid Quentin Tarantino for the devout set of people who want movies to reflect the struggle between human experience, faith, feeling as if prayers are not answered and the hypocritical chasm between preaching and practice without the complete cynicism of a young adult. Hatty and Hwan are capable of wonder though they are both locked into their respective garish world views. Everyone wants to believe. If the movie disappoints, it is for failing to explore the implications of the final scene between Cho and Ali, two terrific actors walking side by side after an astonishing moment. It is a movie that frankly feels unfinished, and not because it leaves you wanting more. It is abrupt and pat.
Cinematographer Katelin Arizmendi fortunately does not make it look rushed or sloppy. The colors are warm and rich. The editing from Cam McLauchlin is hit or miss. Tariq favors showing close ups of his characters instead of having them share a frame, which reflects the relationship between the characters, but means the cutting back and forth feels very television. It works better when the editing is thematic to reflect a character’s memories juxtaposed with the present or to cut between a Hadith and the present to parallel the relationship between Latif and Fatiha and the Prophet Muhammad and his wife, Fatimah. It is a terrific visual way to convey information without an awkward prose dump. Also, the closing song, Son Lux and Bilal’s “Now I’m Walking,” is a perfect way to close though the overall meaning is elusive. Also, when the dialogue from a later or earlier scene leaks into a different time, it signified how Latif could not keep his different identities separate, and it worked because it was used sparingly.
Will “Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother” become a cult hit because of all its disparate, unlikely, but ultimately patchwork elements? There is definitely substance in Tariq’s film, and it mostly looks great, especially the composition of the shots to tell the character dynamic story, but more money would have only fixed the fight scenes, not the pacing or other story issues. Though it is a miss for me, it deserves a good score for committing to its vision and concept even if it did not execute it well. It may have worked better if it was a straight drama without the action.
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Unofficially Latif was working for Mike (Laith Nakli) to kill people who targeted Muslims but tries to stop because presumably he is the only living parent. So he is caught between Mike’s complete lack of sympathy with his situation, and Hwan does not buy that Latif is out of the biz. The first time that Latif let his kids out of his sight, it made sense because he was in a mosque. When the former sex worker walks off with his baby, sure, but Latif calls his kids to have dinner with the guy that Hwan is trying to kill. Are you stupid? And I despise when movies arrange for the assassin’s location to be blown conveniently during the movie. At least add a line that they always knew but left him alone because he was doing what they want. There was a point when I thought that he should give the kids to literally anyone because he was not a safe place. It just made for an incredibly difficult watch.
