YOUR MOTHER YOUR MOTHER YOUR MOTHER
Starring: Mahershala Ali, John Cho, Abubakr Ali, Adia, Laith Nakli, Tramell Tillman, Jahleel Kamara, Tiffany Boone, and Giancarlo Esposito
Director: Bassam Tariq
BODE
It’s tempting to walk out of Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother thinking that Marvel czar Kevin Feige fumbled. After all, both star Mahershala Ali and writer-director Bassam Tariq were attached to the MCU’s Blade reboot for an extended period of time. But perhaps that fumble was a blessing in disguise because I’m not sure the two could make a film so singular under the MCU machine. Tariq’s spin on the hitman tale tackles faith, fatherhood, and moral contradictions with muscularity, introspection, and surprising bursts of humour. It’s riveting to watch Ali navigate this wild hybrid with ease. I couldn’t love this movie more.
ADRIANO
Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, if for nothing else, is a great showcase for writer/director Bassam Tariq. The gnarly action in the marketing is certainly present, and when it is, it’s sick. But what shocked me about this was how much of it was an effective character drama about a hitman grappling with his beliefs and being a father, which offers the opportunity for Tariq and Mahershala Ali to display something both radical and nuanced in one genre-defying package. There’s very little out there quite like this one, and I hope it’s not the last of its kind.
NICK
Although it's not Blade, director Bassam Tariq and Marhershala Ali have come together to bring us Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother. Despite the sword-wielding similarities, this is a far more meditative film with a much heavier focus on faith over violence. I wish it had fully explored all of the ideas it presents, but for the most part it works. It's just a matter of knowing not to expect a violent revenge story, because that's just a small piece of this film. You get some combat moments to be sure, but it's unfortunate Ali couldn't get more of an opportunity to showcase his training.
AMARÚ
Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother is a sleek and heavy melange of a movie. Mixing multiple genres, it’s an intense, hitman-centric crime thriller rooted in a family drama with a sprinkling of fight choreography and religious commentary. With all that, you would think it would feel muddled, but the combination of captivating performances from Mahershala Ali and Adia, not to mention a surprising amount of intentional and accidental humor, makes everything as naturally flawed and human as Ali’s character. The unflinching grit is polished with Bassam Tariq’s stylistic direction, giving you a wildly interesting film.
QUENTIN
If you walk into Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother expecting a John Wick-style brawler, you will be sorely disappointed because that is exactly what happened to me. Instead of an action-packed thriller, I was given a slow-burn character drama about faith and family with very little ass kicking and even fewer thrills. That doesn’t make it a bad movie, necessarily — Mahershala Ali and John Cho are quite good in it — but it wasn’t what I wanted when I bought the ticket. Perhaps you will have a better experience than I did, now that your expectations have been adjusted.
This film was reviewed by Bode, Nick, and Adriano as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival.