Mahershala Ali stars as Latif, an ex-military, devoutly Muslim hitman, in writer-director Bassam Tariq’s (These Birds Walk, Mogul Mowgli) new film. After his wife dies unexpectedly, Latif returns home to Huston to care for his children—daughter Fatiha (Adia), son Qadir (Jahleel Kamara), and infant daughter Aziza (twins Brooklyn and Jaxon Hughes)—but must embark on a dangerous quest to find breast milk for Aziza, who cannot digest formula, leading him deep into criminality. (112 min.)
Editor’s note: Anna Starkey is walking the Camino in Spain, so former Palm Theatre employee and current Atascadero English teacher Meghan Higdon is stepping in again.
Glen Films that come to mind watching Your Mother include the offbeat code of honor of Jim Jarmusch’s Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999) and the gritty foreign culture vibe of Nicolas Winding Refn’s Only God Forgives (2013), with a little Road to Perdition (2002) and The Book of Eli (2010) thrown in for good measure. Latif is at the center of a shitstorm. His spiritual leader, Abdul Malik (Giancarlo Esposito), wants him out of the assassin life, but his “boss,” Mike Mahmoudi (Laith Nakli), isn’t done with him. Mike wants charismatic Christian cult leader Hwan Yoon (John Cho) dead since he’s threatened to kill Mike and go after a pornography business run by Mike’s nephew, Hatty (Abubakr Ali). All Latif wants to do is feed his baby, and you can bet your ass he’ll mow down everyone who gets in his way. If you can stomach ample violence and a third-act miracle, it’s a pretty fun ride.
YOUR MOTHER YOUR MOTHER YOUR MOTHER
What’s it rated? R
What’s it worth, Meg? Meh
What’s it worth, Glen? Matinee
Where’s it showing? Regal Arroyo Grande
Meg I don’t quite know what to make of this movie, and that’s a rare occasion. I didn’t hate it, but it left me unsatisfied. Writer-director Tariq seemed to have some grand point to make about the nature of faith, but I’ll be damned if I can tell you what it is. The story is incredibly convoluted and doesn’t allow the characters to develop in any real or natural way; that leaves them feeling surface level and rather hollow. There isn’t enough world building to make this a lived-in, fully realized piece of storytelling. I can accept ambiguity in a film, but this narrative felt downright incoherent—a good idea that needed a few more drafts to make it truly great. One Battle After Another (2025) covers similar “single dad trying to take care of his baby at all costs” territory in a much more satisfying way. Save your money and go watch that instead.
Glen I guess I liked it more than you did. I think this one’s worth a trip to the theater. Ali is such a soulful actor, and he’s got legit intense killer vibes going. I also really liked Adia, the Christian R&B and contemporary gospel singer who plays Latif’s daughter, Fatiha. She’s convincing as a conflicted teenager who doesn’t know what to make of her secretive father. Mike and Juan and Hatty are all crazy and extreme characters. Religious zealotry and religious hypocrisy are bookends here, but you’re right, if you want a story that makes neat sense, this isn’t it! I’d watch again to see if I can figure it out.
Meg I’ll certainly agree that Ali is carrying this entire movie with the intensity of his gaze and his stunning cheekbones, and yes, the dynamic with his on-screen daughter is compelling. I can admit it was cool to look at, but the visual grammar of the film is saying far more than the film itself. I feel about this film like I feel about a bad boyfriend: I can’t love it based on perceived potential alone. ∆
Arts Editor Glen Starkey and contributor Meghan Higdon wrote Split Screen. Comment at gstarkey@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Pets 2026.
