Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother Opens in Theaters: The Story and Cast

Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother opened in select New York and Los Angeles theaters on September 25. Writer-director Bassam Tariq says the film will expand to more theaters the following week. Check local listings before going: it is not a nationwide release on its first weekend.

Mahershala Ali stars as Latif, a hitman living in Houston. After his wife dies, he is left caring for their newborn and two older children while people connected to his violent work close in. The film keeps his family responsibilities in the foreground even when the action starts.

Who plays whom?

Ali is joined by John Cho as Hwan Yoon, a pastor and former soldier who becomes a major threat. Giancarlo Esposito plays Abdul Malik, with Abubakr Ali as Hatty, Tramell Tillman as Talib, Tiffany Boone as Fugazi and Jahleel Kamara as Latif’s son Qadir. Adia also appears in the cast.

Tariq wrote and directed the film after he and Ali had planned to work together on Marvel’s Blade. This is their own story, not a Marvel project. Tariq has said the film grew in part from his experience caring for a newborn while his wife was in the hospital.

Why the action looks different

In a new interview, Tariq said he wanted the film to keep moving but also leave room for conversations between characters. One example he mentioned is a car scene with Esposito’s Abdul Malik, where the film slows down so the audience can hear a family story. He credited editor Cam McLauchlin with pushing him to keep moments like that.

Tariq also described testing the film with different audiences and adjusting explanations and fight scenes based on what viewers understood. That process matters here because the movie asks viewers to follow Latif’s family, his faith and a growing conflict in Houston at the same time.

The film is playing in select theaters now, with more locations expected in early October. No streaming premiere has been announced. The related movie page has the cast, runtime and images if you want the basic details before booking a ticket.