TIFF 2026 Film Review: ‘Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother’ is an Absolute Masterpiece
After Marvel Studios fumbled the production of Bassam Tariq’s vision for Blade with Mahershala Ali, the director and actor both left the long-gestating MCU project to do Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother. The action movie then used Ali’s training for Eric Brooks to instead put him in a tormented character study about a single Muslim father trying to do right by his family after his wife’s death.
The story in Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother
Latif (Mahershala Ali) is a hitman who attempts to protect his children from malevolent forces after his boss, Mike Mahmoudi (Laith Nakli), assigns him to protect his nephew (Abubakr Ali) from a gun-toting cult leader, Pastor Kwan (John Cho). The task could be simple if it weren’t for Latif’s refusal to follow instructions and his decision to look for breast milk to feed his newborn instead.
This is a rare American film that is both theologically and thematically dense, while also pleasing to our genre sensibilities for being superbly entertaining and surprisingly funny.
The text itself of Latif’s crisis of faith, as a devout Muslim who seems to have lost the power of belief after his wife died, is rich enough to parse multiple interpretations of the protagonist’s “crusade.” The way Tariq incorporates religion(s) in his picture, showcasing the sense of belief that many followers have while contrasting it with Kwan’s warped perception of “faith,” is as thoughtful as Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day (which still remains the year’s best film).
It’s actually quite surprising how Tariq takes his time to ensure that audiences understand which headspace the film floats between—Latif’s desolate mindset and his daughter’s (Adia) more hopeful wishes that the world can improve if we believe in our purpose.
Late in the movie, a scene distills Tariq’s entire essence as we shift between Latif, ready to give it all up, and his daughter, who prays for his safe return. Without spoiling anything, what occurs can only be described as a cinematic miracle, an act of renewal that only the most theologically averse filmmakers can bring to life.
Mahershala Ali’s performance is one of his best
If Mogul Mowgli was the test run for Tariq’s religiously charged brand of moving images, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother sees him push his conception of faith to the extremes. It gives Mahershala Ali ample room for a soulful portrayal of an anguished character who longs for faith but can’t find it anywhere he looks, even when his children still believe in a higher power.
It’s the best performance he’s given since bringing Juan to life in Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight, or perhaps Sheikh Ali Malik in the second season of Ramy (also starring Laith Nakli, whose subtle inflections as Mike bring much emotional complexity to the character). It is as much physical as it is psychological.
But Tariq knows audiences are here to see Ali wield a sword and kick major ass, since he hasn’t had the chance to do so by donning the Blade mantle, despite spending several years training for the role.
Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother movie rating and final thoughts
When the action finally hits in this film, it’s the sickest choreography you’ll see all year. The intricacies of Katelin Arizmendi’s cinematography will be studied long after we’ve departed this Earth; the way she fills each frame with perspective as a sword-wielding Latif attempts to cut through Kwon’s cult is enough to put you on the edge of your seat.
There’s such urgency to the way Tariq shoots his action that it’s hard not to wonder how in the hell Blade got fumbled this badly. Perhaps there were creative differences, but the potential on display seemed genuinely wasted. Kevin Feige himself told Josh Horowitz last month that he feels like a “giantic loser and failure” that the Mahershala Ali Blade film didn’t get off the ground.
Still, had the film not been canceled, we may never have gotten something as genuinely human and beautiful as this film. It’s a cinematic miracle that only happens once in a generation. I hope to see Tariq push the boundaries of his cinematic sensibilities further as he continues to refine his style and find his place in the landscape without resorting to the “house-style” of most franchises.
Maybe that restraint made him unhappy while doing Blade, because he pours all his heart and soul on screen in ways you don’t see many directors do at any stage of their lives. This is a decidedly personal movie. It’s also one of the year’s most remarkable cinematic achievements.
Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother releases in select theaters on September 25, 2026, with a wide release on October 9, 2026.
Also check out: TIFF 2026 Review: Fjord is a Necessary Exercise of Introspection
