Shadows on the Wall | Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother

Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother

dir-scr Bassam Tariq
prd Bassam Tariq, Lucan Toh, Babak Anvari
with Mahershala Ali, John Cho, Giancarlo Esposito, Abubakr Ali, Laith Nakli, Adia, Jahleel Kamara, Tiffany Boone, Tramell Tillman, John Henry Ward, Alyssa Gihee Kim, Ashley P Jones
release US 25.Sep.26,
UK 20.Nov.26
26/US Orion 1h51

TORONTO FILM FEST

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There are a number of intriguing ideas swirling around in this dramatic action thriller, which takes on religion and morality from a seriously offbeat angle. Gifted writer-director Bassam Tariq creates a vivid atmosphere, with saturated colours and gorgeously grainy camerawork that focusses on the characters. This fuels the tension as the film dives into some unconventional subcultures. And it's anchored by yet another sharp performance from Mahershala Ali.

In Houston, Latif (Ali) is a single father raising teen Fatiha (Adia), 10-year-old Qadir (Kamara) and an infant daughter in the local Muslim community led by imam Abdul (Esposito). Latif also works as a hitman for his old friend Mike (Nakli), something he's increasingly struggling to reconcile with his beliefs. When Mike asks him to take out militaristic Christian pastor Hwan (Cho), because he threatens Mike's nephew Hatty (Abukar Ali) and his "halal porn" empire, Latif wonders which side he's actually on. And he has more pressing needs, like finding breast milk for his baby.

Provocatively, Latif is wildly sanctimonious to everyone he meets, including his kids. They may not know what their dad does for a living, but they can clearly see the irony in his pushy moral edicts. This also provides added spark to the clashes he has with Cho's true believer, a fellow battle-hardened veteran who is accompanied by well-armed acolytes as they violently "liberate" a strip club and turn it into a church.

Matching the film's beefy, full-on tone, Ali makes Latif formidable both at home and in various brutal encounters. But he also lets us see the tenderness under the surface, especially as he so tenaciously battles to feed this newborn. There are also glimpses of understanding beneath his hard-line approach to both Fatiha and Qadir, both of whom are played with remarkable texture. Cho, Esposito and especially scene-stealer Abubakr Ali also get strikingly powerful moments.

It's rare to see a film evoke such conflicting imagery relating to religion, as Tariq seems more interested in rattling the viewer than making a clear point. So there's plenty to think about. Although Islam gets a much more nuanced depiction here; even Latif knows that he is violating his own deeply held beliefs, justifying murder because he only kills truly bad guys. So targeting a self-proclaimed religious leader forces him to re-examine his principles and find what's truly important. The ending is a bit of a cop-out, but the film leaves our minds spinning.

themes, language, violence 6.Oct.26

R E A D E R R E V I E W S

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