What we're watching: "Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother"

• 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.

Zoom in: The film — with a title referencing an Islamic hadith
— captures Houston's cultural and religious diversity, drawing on Tariq's observations and experiences growing up Muslim in the city when he was a teenager.

Shafaq's thought bubble: The movie is bloody, raw, emotional, poetic, tense and odd, with a complex character brought to life beautifully through Ali's movements and subtle facial expressions.

• Somehow, it makes sense that this weird thriller is set in Houston.
• The stunningly shot film captures the mix of cultures and rhythmic chaos of southwest Houston. And seeing glimpses of Bissonnet Street and references to southwest Houston (where I grew up) on screen will always be special.