Rabat — Two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali is taking on a very different kind of role in the upcoming thriller “Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother,” playing a character caught between his dangerous profession and the responsibilities of fatherhood.
Ali stars as Latif, a Black Muslim hitman and widowed father of three who is forced to navigate two completely different sides of his life. While his work requires him to be ruthless and precise, his life at home demands patience, tenderness and emotional strength.
The movie’s title, “Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother,” refers to a hadith of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, in Islam, highlighting the importance and status of mothers.
The film uses the reference as part of a story that explores family, grief and parenthood through an unusual perspective.
His three children each bring a different challenge. His teenage child is beginning to grow up, develop their own identity and ask difficult questions. His energetic toddler demands constant attention, while his nursing baby still depends on him for care and emotional nourishment.
At the same time, Latif is dealing with the grief of losing his wife and adjusting to life without the person who once shared the responsibility of raising their children.
As the boundaries between his two lives become increasingly difficult to maintain, Latif has to find a way to protect his children without allowing the dangerous world he works in to reach them.
From “Blade” to a New Kind of Blade
The role also comes years after Ali was announced as the star of Marvel’s “Blade,” a project that went through multiple delays and changes before the actor confirmed to Variety it would no longer move forward..
His new role as a skilled hitman therefore brings an unexpected connection to the actor’s abandoned vampire-hunter project.
Ali is a two-time Academy Award winner, receiving Oscars for his supporting roles in “Moonlight” and “Green Book.” His filmography also includes “Hidden Figures” and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.”
For Ali, “Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother” offers another layered character, combining action with a deeply personal story about grief, family, faith and responsibility.
Following its premier at the Toronto International Film Festival, the thriller is now heading to theatres, with its theatrical release scheduled for September 25.
