Houston-raised filmmaker Bassam Tariq’s new movie, “Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother,” brings a distinctly Houston story to the big screen. The film gets a wider theatrical release Friday.
The big picture: The thriller starring two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali is rooted in southwest Houston, where Tariq grew up.
- Ali plays a devout Muslim hitman who, after his wife’s death, embarks on a desperate journey across Houston to find breast milk for his newborn. The unusual premise unfolds into a story about grief, faith and fatherhood.
What they’re saying: “[Houston’s] bustling with so much life — there’s a collision of cultures, cuisines, and also an interesting cross section of different religious communities,” Tariq tells Texas Monthly.
- “And particularly in working class environments, I found they’re all living amongst each other in apartment complexes, particularly in Southwest Houston, where the story is set,” he adds.
- “There’s no place like it, I believe. And I wanted to figure out a way to bring that to life,” he tells Chron.
Between the lines: Despite its Houston setting, the film was shot mostly in Atlanta because of Georgia’s more generous film tax incentives…