Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother

Set in Houston, Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother is an action thriller directed by Bassam Tariq and starring Mahershala Ali. Ali plays Latif, a devout Muslim hitman trying to protect his children as his life unravels.

As we see the production companies’ animated logos, the teaser opens with an a cappella vocal phrase reminiscent of the melody in Quebecois band Karkwa’s 2008 track ‘Le Volume du Vent.’

Sonically, this teaser is anchored by two elements: a repeated pulsing bass note at a tempo destined to get your toes tapping and a voiceover from Fatiha (Tiffany Boone) that explains the meaning behind the film’s title, which references a Hadith, an Islamic record of sayings from the Prophet Muhammad.

In the opening shots of the teaser (0:03), we see Latif on the run (literally), and we hear his breathing synched to the beat of the pulsing bass. At 0:11 we cut to a shot of Fatiha (though we do not yet know it is her voice in the voiceover), and at this moment there is a triplet note accented in amongst the pulsing bass, subtly referencing 12/8 rhythmic sensibilities of West Africa.

Now, voiceovers can be particularly effective if they align well with the music accompanying them. So it’s worth noting that one complete 4 bar phrase has finished just before the voiceover reaches the word ‘Mother’ for the first time (0:12), making that word land on a downbeat, giving it even greater emphasis beyond the film’s title. Immediately afterwards, we have three consecutive cuts to the film’s title card, synched to the pulse of the music (this happens again at 0:19 and 0:24, corresponding to each time Fatiha says the words “Your Mother”).

At 0:15, 0:22 and 0:28 we see Latif carrying his infant child, but this is contrasted with clips of Latif dangerous in hand-to-hand combat at 0:27. By this point we can hear an additional layer of sustained chord in the music, possibly voices drenched in reverb, or perhaps an organ, slowly growing in volume.

At 0:34 on screen we briefly see Fatiha speaking the Hadith that we have been, until now, hearing as voiceover. At 0:37, when Fatiha reaches the point in the Hadith where the father is mentioned, we cut a shot of Latif, now holding a sword, and, using the same pattern established earlier with the title card, an image flashes three times with the words “Academy Award Winner Mahershala Ali.”

Immediately afterwards, at 0:39, the pulsing bass abruptly stops, and all we hear is a sound like echoing wind. It is disorienting, and is accompanied by a brief shot in which it seems like someone is being held underwater.

Then at 0:42, as we see happier days of Latif playing and laughing with his infant child, we hear the a cappella vocals from Karkwa (repeated twice) that started the trailer and now function as bookends.

This teaser is a masterclass in montage, with over 50 shots from the film shown in just under one minute. The editing is precise, hinging on a steady pulse that is minimalist but nuanced, and featuring repeating audiovisual motifs like the flashing title card. We need that sonic unity, since the narrative is fragmented, as to throw off the audioviewer.

Fun fact - Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother will be scored by post-rock band Son Lux (who recently composed the music for Marvel’s Thunderbolts as well as Everything Everywhere All At Once).

After premiering at TIFF next month, _Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother _will be in theatres September 25.

— Jack Hui Litster