Your Mother: Mahershala Ali's New Film and Release Dates

Written by Adriano Ladislau in Movies

Published on November 15, 2026 08:55 UTC · Updated on November 15, 2026 08:56 UTC

Bassam Tariq directs Mahershala Ali as a devout hitman in Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother; here is the full synopsis, cast and all release dates.

Mahershala Ali's new film is Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, an action thriller written and directed by Bassam Tariq. The movie had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 12, 2026, opened in US theaters on September 25, arrived in Brazilian cinemas on October 9 and is set for a UK release on November 20. At the center of the story is Latif, a devout Muslim contract killer who tries to leave his violent trade behind and raise three children in Houston after his wife dies — only to see the plan collapse when his former handler demands one last job. The film returned to the headlines this week after Laith Nakli, who plays crime boss Mike Mahmoudi, told CNN Portugal he skipped the Hollywood premiere because he feared being detained by US immigration authorities.

What is Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother?

It is a 2026 American action thriller running about 112 minutes, produced by Two & Two Pictures with Orion Pictures and distributed by Amazon MGM Studios. Bassam Tariq wrote, directed and produced alongside Lucan Toh and Babak Anvari; Brian O'Neill is executive producer. The cinematography is by Katelin Arizmendi, the editing by Cam McLauchlin and the production design by Akin McKenzie. The score is by the trio Son Lux, and the film features the original song "Now I'm Listening", performed by Bilal.

The title, repeated three times, is not a typo. It refers to an Islamic hadith recalling the Prophet Muhammad's answer when asked who deserves the greatest care: your mother, three times, before your father. For Latif, recently widowed, the reminder works less as comfort than as a verdict — he must fill a place that is not his, raising a newborn, a young boy and a teenage daughter on his own.

The production is Tariq's second narrative feature, after Mogul Mowgli (2020), starring Riz Ahmed, and the documentary Ghosts of Sugar Land (2019). Born in Pakistan and raised in the United States, the filmmaker built a career between documentary and fiction — an experience visible in the film's attention to domestic routines, religious rituals and Houston's communities.

Synopsis: faith, grief and fatherhood in Houston

Latif is a practicing Muslim who follows a strict code: he does not use guns and only accepts targets he considers worthy of death. His clandestine work coexists with an ordinary family life until his wife's sudden death leaves him with three small children — among them a baby who refuses formula and forces her father to crisscross the city in search of breast milk. It is this mundane need, rather than a heroic mission, that drives much of the narrative.

While trying to step away from crime, Latif is pressured by his former middleman, Mike Mahmoudi, who threatens to expose his past to Houston's Muslim community unless he agrees to eliminate an inconvenient target: Pastor Hwan Yoon, an extremist Christian leader played by John Cho, who moves around in a cowboy hat with a gold grill on his teeth. The two men are not so different after all: both kill in God's name, only with different methods and justifications.

"I also want to challenge the religion because I think the best of cinema does that. It allows us to all feel a bit uncomfortable."

The journey puts the protagonist in contact with a sexual exploitation ring and with figures from different churches and communities — including a group of Mormons in Bible study, in a late sequence. The film's violence, choreographed with swords and blades, serves less as pure spectacle than as a way to expose the contradictions of a man who believes he is entitled to decide who should live.

Confirmed cast: who plays whom

The ensemble mixes award winners and rising actors. The casting was announced by the studio and confirmed by the film's official credits:

When does it open? The full release calendar

The rollout was staggered, as is typical for Amazon MGM prestige titles. The strategy began at festivals, moved through limited screenings in New York and Los Angeles and expanded throughout October. Here are the confirmed dates:

In Brazil, the October 9 date appears on the film's AdoroCinema listing and matches its run at the Rio festival, which screened the movie in the World Panorama section. The Brazilian age rating is 16; in the United States the film received an R, for strong language, bloody violence and some sexual content.

The Blade connection: how the project began

The film's origins are tied to a project that never happened. In 2019, Marvel announced Mahershala Ali as the lead of a new Blade, and Bassam Tariq was hired to direct. The filmmaker left the job in September 2022, months before shooting was due to start, and the vampire movie drifted into creative limbo. The two men, however, stayed close.

In February 2025, the studio announced that Tariq would write and direct an original film called Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, with Ali in the lead. Principal photography began that March in Atlanta. Some of the action training developed for the superhero universe was reused: Ali performs much of his own fight work, including sword sequences that critics compared to the samurai repertoire.

"For the first time ever, the scene I was most concerned with was our climactic action scene, because we had very limited time in terms of our rehearsal and preparation."

In Toronto, Tariq received the TIFF Tribute Awards' Rising Talent honor, given to filmmakers early in their careers with standout work at the festival. The choice reinforced the reading that the film was born from industrial frustration — the shelved Blade — and became one of the year's most discussed independent productions.

Laith Nakli: his biggest role and the deportation threat

The question that spread fastest after CNN Portugal's report was simple: which film is Laith Nakli talking about? The answer is Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother. In the movie, the 56-year-old actor plays Mike Mahmoudi, the middleman who runs Latif, sends threatening voice messages and travels with a retinue of armed bodyguards. In one of the tensest scenes, the two talk at the door of a mosque.

Nakli described the character during a Q&A about the film, and his words were reported by CNN:

"There is something about Mike... he just wants to belong to something important. That's why his men are like his sons. It is deep. And I speak for myself, as an immigrant: I understand it at very extreme levels, the loneliness of wanting to belong. To this day, every day is a struggle for me to feel part of something."

The statement carries weight because the actor's life echoes part of the plot. Born in the United Kingdom to Syrian parents and raised in Damascus, he arrived in the United States in 1990 and became a professional bodybuilder, winning the "Mr. Syria" title in 1996. In 2000, he pleaded guilty to four counts of conspiracy to possess and distribute anabolic steroids. Federal judge Frederic Block sentenced him to three years of probation, community service and a $3,000 fine — far from the maximum 20-year prison term.

His immigration case was administratively closed in 2013, after the government dropped its deportation effort. In 2025, however, the case was reopened as part of a review that, according to CNN, reached roughly 150,000 proceedings since January of that year. Nakli awaits a new hearing and avoids domestic flights for fear of being detained at airports. That is why he did not attend the film's Hollywood premiere, even though he is one of its central names.

The situation did not stop him from receiving a standing ovation at a private screening at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York, when Tariq mentioned him during the post-film conversation. "One of the actors in the film is here. He is truly a phenomenal professional," the director said, according to the report.

Reviews, box office and the Oscar conversation

Critical reception has been among the strongest of the year for an independent release. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 96% critics' score, with a "Certified Fresh" seal, and 92% audience approval from verified ratings. The critics' consensus highlights "unabashedly pulpy thrills without diminishing its big heart" and Ali's performance as the strongest element. The New York Times ran a Critic's Pick review by Alissa Wilkinson, and The Guardian described the film as a "soulful" thriller anchored by a grieving hitman.

At the box office, the result is modest but typical of the arthouse circuit. According to figures compiled by US outlets, the film grossed about $3.6 million domestically against an estimated $4 million independent budget. Amazon pulled the title from roughly 800 theaters in November while making it available for digital rental — a common move for prestige releases that shift quickly to home viewing.

Even so, the film entered the awards conversation. The combination of critical acclaim, a two-time Oscar-winning lead and a structured studio campaign usually produces acting and screenplay nominations. As of publication, there is no confirmed nomination — only the campaign push and public buzz that have already placed the movie among the season's most discussed titles.

Where to watch, and what is still unconfirmed

In the United States, the film has been available to rent or buy digitally since November 3, on Prime Video, Apple TV and Fandango at Home. There is no confirmation that it is already part of the Prime Video subscription catalog — the initial digital release is transactional, not included streaming.

In Brazil, the theatrical release took place on October 9, according to the AdoroCinema listing, after the film's run at the Rio festival. As of this writing, there was no official date for the Brazilian Prime Video catalog or for a local digital rental window. Because distribution varies by territory, the recommendation is to follow the studio's official page and local cinema listings.

For readers who want to dig into the debate the film sparked, Revista Pixel has already published a report on Chance the Rapper's reaction, who called it the best film of the year. More premieres, reviews and film analysis are in the portal's film section.

What to watch for next

The case of Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother brings together three stories in one: a director who turned a shelved superhero project into a low-budget religious drama; an award-winning actor who finally found room to lead a physical action role; and a supporting actor whose real life has become more dramatic than the script. All three explain why the title is still circulating weeks after its release.

The next chapters are verifiable: the awards season, which begins to take shape between December and January; the film's arrival on subscription streaming, still undated; and Laith Nakli's immigration hearing, scheduled for the coming weeks. About the film itself, the established facts are the calendar — already in Brazilian cinemas and on US digital rental — and a rare critical consensus for an independent action movie with a religious theme.

Primary source and official material: the Amazon MGM Studios official page. The report that originated this story was published by CNN Portugal; box office and reception data can be checked on Rotten Tomatoes and in the Brazilian listing at AdoroCinema.

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