The Verge reviews five films from TIFF 2026’s third day
Mahershala Ali and Bassam Tariq’s hitman thriller leads a varied group of crime, horror, comedy and drifting films reviewed at the Toronto festival.
The Verge reviewed five films associated with the third day of the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival, spanning crime, horror, comedy and racing. The lineup included Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, In Alaska, The Face of Horror, Babies and Drifter.
Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother reunites actor Mahershala Ali with director Bassam Tariq. Ali plays Latif, a devout Muslim, loyal father and hitman who follows a strict moral code: he kills only bad people and never uses a gun. After his wife dies, Latif becomes a single father to three children while his past threatens his family.
The Verge’s critic described the film as a character-focused action thriller in which violence is limited but consequential. John Cho was also highlighted for his performance as the villain, a leader of a right-wing church group.
In Alaska, co-directed by Jaap van Heusden and Vinnie Karetak, follows Woody, a suicidal teenager who becomes wanted by the FBI after causing extensive damage to an oil pipeline. The Face of Horror adapts the Japanese ghost story Yotsuya Kaidan to 14th-century England, using the style of Technicolor horror films. The review noted its theatrical tone, special effects and lead performances.
Babies, written and directed by Lauren Miller Rogen, centres on a childless couple played by Anna Kendrick and Seth Rogen as they confront the question of having children. Drifter, directed by and starring Sung Kang, follows a race-track janitor who drives for a drug kingpin and dreams of competing against the world’s best drifters. The Verge’s critic praised its visual sequences but found its story and supporting characters underdeveloped.
