THE STORY – Latif, a devoutly religious hitman, struggles to balance work, faith, and fatherhood. When his wife dies, he embarks on a desperate journey across Houston to protect his children, confronting the forces closing in around him – and the beliefs threatening to unravel within.
THE CAST – Mahershala Ali, John Cho, Abubakr Ali, Adia & Giancarlo Esposito
THE TEAM– Bassam Tariq (Director/Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 112 Minutes
The mere existence of Bassam Tariq’s latest feature “Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother” almost seems like a cinematic miracle. It’s a film that certainly arose from the ashes of the infamously scrapped “Blade” that Marvel Studios has spent the past seven years trying to bring to life. At one point, Tariq was one of many directors attached to the reboot, built around the talent of two-time Academy Award-winning actor Mahershala Ali. Somehow, the parade of studio input simply couldn’t find the right recipe to bring the goods Ali always envisioned. Yet, if that disaster proved anything, it is that Ali’s desire to collaborate with Tariq was more than warranted; it was destined. So we should be thankful that Ali and Tariq’s instincts led us to “Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother,” a nail-biting drama that doubles as both a riveting action flick and a stirring tale of stepping up when it matters most.
When audiences meet Ali’s religiously devout hitman Latif, he instantly bursts into the film within its first moment on a job. We don’t know the man he’s trying to kill or why. His methods seem unorthodox, as does his sluggish demeanor during the fight. It’s only when he opens his case to clean the crime scene that a pair of diapers spells out to audiences that this is a man with two lives. One of which drastically changes as the sudden passing of his wife Khadija leaves him as the primary caretaker of his three young children. Navigating parenthood for Latif is a struggle for a man who deems himself a soldier of God fighting a righteous cause, and now he’s saddled with shoes he knows he can never fill.
Tariq’s spin on the beloved subgenre of hitman films is far more introspective than most would expect, as the screenplay is rooted in the familial and spiritual conflicts Latif is navigating rather than the violence itself. He’s a man who begins to waver in his faith, something ingrained into Latif’s identity, a dynamic he shares with his young daughter Fatiha (played by Adia), who has a much looser interpretation of religion, like most in her generation. It’s an intriguing throughline, seeing how powerful faith can become, a power that transcends the barriers of reality, pulling us all together. At the very least, it’s something that grounds our actions, whether they’re wholly justified or not. It’s this same justification that pulls Latif into a budding conflict with his contact Mike (played by Laith Nakil) and John Cho’s Hwan Yoon. Hwan, a gold-grill-wearing Christian nationalist, is slowly making his way through Texas on a crusade to cleanse the world of those he deems a sin to existence.
Now his sights are set on Abubakr Ali’s Hatty, Mike’s nephew, creating “Halal Pornography” that is conflated in Hwan’s eyes with a human trafficking operation right in his own backyard. As Latif’s infant child’s rejection of baby formula puts him in a bind, Tariq uses this narrative moment to further close the walls around Latif and his family. The fatherly, sword-wielding hitman actions inadvertently ramp up this conflict, as the film becomes a meditative yet exhilarating quest for a man trying to find the best path not only for his family but for himself. Of course, “Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother” thrives on the energy Ali brings with his commanding screen presence. Every second he’s onscreen only makes you infuriated that the troubled production around “Blade” has robbed him of being projected in cinemas for the past few years. His work here, as always, is fantastic, but the layering in Tariq’s writing allows an actor of Ali’s caliber to really dig deep into the incorporeal battle he’s toeing the line with.
The fight sequences are exceptional, with Tariq’s precise direction pulling audiences in with every punch thrown and slice of a sacred blade. Cinematographer Katelin Arizmendi captures these understated set pieces with an elegance and flashiness that makes them feel grand while Son Lux’s hypnotic score blasts in the background. The film itself is quite understated, as the backdrop of Houston creates a lively world where Tariq’s characters with such distinctive personalities feel alive. As thematically heavy as the film gets, it’s also quite humorous, allowing Ali to show sensitivity, especially in moments opposite Adia or Jahleel Kamara’s Qadir. Abubakr Ali’s predominantly humorous performance adds needed levity, especially in how notable his chemistry is with Ali and his child co-stars. Cho’s role as the film’s heavy never slips into cartoonish caricature, no matter how easy that could’ve been. His amusing presence dabbles with a sinister atmosphere, embodying right-wing grifter types that use their religion as a means to an end.
“Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother” finds that the power of divinity is as powerful as the sword – a sentiment all but reaffirmed by Tariq’s powerful conclusion that avoids going down a far more cliched road that certainly would’ve taken away from how magical this movie is. When the movie first came out, someone like me expected the Houston equivalent of “Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai,” but instead of being about Japanese culture, about the trials of being Muslim. I’m happy to report that, while it captures some of that Jarmusch spirit, it’s so much more, and ultimately the best-case result of a studio’s multimillion dollar mishandling of two cinematic powerhouses.
