Bassam Tariq brings faith and family to Toronto

Mahershala Ali leads action thriller exploring motherhood, loss and Muslim identity

TORONTO:

Pakistani-born American filmmaker Bassam Tariq brought a deeply personal story of faith, family and motherhood to the Toronto International Film Festival, where his action thriller 'Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother' had its world premiere.

The film stars Oscar winner Mahershala Ali as Latif, a devout Muslim and a contract killer who is struggling to raise his young family as a single father after the death of his beloved wife.

Ali said he was excited when Tariq approached him about playing a complex, three-dimensional character whose weapon of choice was a blade - a role that was notably different from the Marvel project the pair had previously been expected to make together.

"It was exciting... he wrote a really three-dimensional character, and one that was going to be challenging to pull off," Ali, who won Oscars for 'Moonlight' and 'Green Book', told Reuters on the red carpet.

The collaboration had initially been planned around Marvel Studios' 'Blade' reboot, but that project ultimately fell apart. Tariq said he regarded the opportunity to finally work with Ali on this film as something of a miracle.

"It's miraculous. There's no other way to put it... There's no better person to play this than him, and it all just worked out," Tariq said.

The film's title refers to an Islamic teaching highlighting the importance of motherhood. For Tariq, the story grew from both his relationship with his wife and his own experience growing up as a Muslim in the United States.

"It's very American, it's rooted in Black Muslim culture... I kind of also wanted to explore different parts of my own upbringing, different parts of experiences that I've been a part of," Tariq said.

Rather than treating faith as a backdrop, the film places it alongside questions of grief, parenthood and identity as Latif attempts to reconcile his violent profession with the responsibilities of raising his children after losing his wife.

The cast also includes John Cho, known for the 'Harold & Kumar' and 'Star Trek' films, as an Army veteran who becomes a pastor in Texas. Giancarlo Esposito and Tramell Tillman appear in supporting roles.

Cho said audiences might be surprised by his character's appearance, which includes cowboy hats, spurs and a gun. He plays the character as a complicated figure rather than a conventional antagonist.

"I don't think of him as a villain. Actually, I think of him as someone in a lot of ways who shares a lot in common with our hero," Cho said.

The Toronto premiere marks the latest chapter in Tariq's collaboration with Ali after their earlier plans to work together on 'Blade' failed to materialise. Their reunion has instead produced a film rooted in Tariq's own cultural experiences and questions of family and belief.

'Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother' is scheduled for release in US cinemas on September 25 through Amazon MGM Studios.