TIFF Review: Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother Is a Hitman Story With Humor

Latif (Mahershala Ali) is a righteous man. A religious man. He sees himself in a holy war to cleanse the world of his people’s enemies by picking up where the law ends. Those who know about his work justifiably condemn it, whether that be his Imam (Giancarlo Esposito’s Abdul Malik) or his wife. They don’t, however, condemn him. Because they understand his struggle. They know his pain. Why add to it? So, they grant him mercy instead. They accept him and hope he will one day find his way back.

It’s therefore a profound moment in Latif’s life when he receives a phone call from his daughter Fatiha (Adia) while cleaning up his latest job. The body of the man he fought and killed is wrapped in plastic in a public restroom room as he dips into his baby’s diaper bag to wipe the blood from his blade. All it takes are the words, “Mama’s gone.” His crusade suddenly loses its meaning as he acknowledges his sole job is to now be a father.

What works so well about Bassam Tariq’s Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother is that this isn’t a simple task. As we soon discover through interactions with Malik and Latif’s brother-in-law Talib (Tramell Tillman), he hasn’t really been there for his children when they needed him. Yes, he’s supported them and kept a roof over their heads, but it’s his absence that resonates. So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that he doesn’t know how to be a dad. He chooses to try and replace their mother instead.

This manifests as a quest to find breast milk. Their reserves are depleted and the baby won’t keep formula down. Latif grows desperate, putting the kids (rounded out by Jahleel Kamara’s Qadir) in the car to try asking mothers at a mosque for help. One thing leads to another, and he’s suddenly face to face with the one person he was attempting to avoid: his handler, Mike Mahmoudi (Laith Nakli). He’ll help find the milk if Latif solves a problem in return: Pastor Hwan (John Cho).

While a comedic slant is present throughout the start in large part due to Latif being a fish out of water with his kids, Hwan’s introduction fully embraces the potential for cheese within this otherwise serious plot. Sure, the whole idea of a hitman suffering from the consequences of his actions while a baby is strapped to his chest is humorous alone, but making this devout (superficially so of late) Muslim’s target an evangelical Army veteran brought back to life by prayer is kind of hilarious.

So too is Cho’s look (grillz on both rows of teeth and a cowboy hat on his head) and performance (he’s on his own righteous crusade to snuff out those profiting off the bodies of women through porn, prostitution, and trafficking). Just don’t underestimate his prowess or flock. He may act goofy in his television ads and seem harmless singing gospel, but the soldier within remains. Why give your parishioners a Bible when an AK-47 is better suited for the “cleansing” he strives to accomplish around town?

Add Mike’s nephew Hatty (Abubaker Ali) as Hwan’s next target and you can see the predicament in which Latif finds himself. He wants to honor his wife’s wishes by retiring from crime. He wants to fill her shoes as a caregiver for children he’s slowly discovering he doesn’t know quite as well as he thought. The only way to do so, though, is to get out from under Mike’s grip. It won’t be as easy as avoiding him either since one of Hatty’s girls (Tiffany Boone’s Fugazi) is a willing milk supplier. Wherever Hatty is, however, Hwan isn’t far behind.

Everything is therefore connected in unpredictable ways as Latif’s bid to be better drags him down even further. Far enough that it’s a foregone conclusion Fatiha will learn his truth. The question becomes which. The one that paints him as an assassin? Or the one his late wife empathetically held as a flawed man doing his best? It’s a case where a little transparency could go a long way since the carnage is coming regardless. And if Latif deserves mercy from his kids to survive it, shouldn’t he find room to grant it too?

Mahershala Ali wields the sword work he learned for the now-defunct Blade reboot once Latif approaches a point of no return. Before that, however, the action is more about escape. Incapacitate and run because he isn’t interested in killing the men in his way. They’re simply blocking the path back to his family. It’s only when they start coming for those he loves that he must choose to put an end to the bloodshed. Either by his hand or his death.

Abubaker Ali is almost as fun as Cho in a less cartoonish way. More an entitled punk who believes himself invincible than a crusader, his Hatty turns the middle portion of the film into an unwitting companion mission. Does Latif actually care about the former’s safety? Not at first. He doesn’t even know he must. Not until it becomes a motivating factor in protecting his kids. So, their dynamic entertains due to that edge of indifference. It allows Tariq to have some fun.

Not that he isn’t throughout. The humor is what hooked me. Whether familial, religious (an early Mormon joke isn’t a throwaway once John Henry Ward’s Elder Wade enters the fray later), or violent—no potential for a punch line is left hanging. That said, however, this remains an emotionally impactful film centered around the Islamic tale from which the title is derived. It’s a quest that sees this father realize he was worried about the wrong fight.

The only people who need him to be their hero are his children. A heroism that entails being present as opposed to handling a weapon. It’s why Adia might be the true standout. She’s the one trapped between his two worlds, holding him accountable while also living within the Hell he created. A lot of what Latif learns is from seeing himself and his late wife in her. And it’s through Fatiha’s love—and grace—that he might be granted a second chance at fatherhood.

Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother premiered at TIFF 2026 and opens in theaters on September 25.