‘Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother’ Director Bassam Tariq Couldn’t Get His ‘Blade’ Movie Done, So He Made Something Better

In 2021, filmmaker Bassam Tariq, who was born in Pakistan and raised in the United States, secured a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to direct a highly anticipated Marvel Studios project, "Blade." The film, based on the iconic half-vampire character, would feature Academy Award-winner Mahershala Ali in the lead role, along with other Marvel stars. However, after a year of production, Tariq left the project, and "Blade" ultimately fell apart.

Tariq and Ali, however, reunited to create "Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother," an idiosyncratic action movie set to debut at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film stars Ali as a soft-spoken, middle-class assassin tasked with providing a future for his family after his wife's death. The movie has a unique rhythm, with Ali's character searching for breastmilk for his child, punctuated by thrilling action sequences.

Tariq's inspiration for the film stemmed from his own experience of searching for breast milk for his newborn son in New York City during the pandemic. This real-world challenge served as a foundation for the film's narrative, blending the struggles of fatherhood with fantastical action elements. Tariq and Ali worked closely together, sharing a mutual desire to create a meaningful and entertaining film that explored themes of spirituality, fatherhood, and sexuality.

The result is a film unlike anything seen before, combining the grit of a Dardenne Brothers movie with the pulse-pounding action of a "John Wick" sequel.