Aleshea Harris’ critically acclaimed play Is God Is came to Soho Rep for a brief stint in early 2018, but its impact caused a lasting ripple effect. The story focuses on twin sisters who set out on a quest to avenge their mother by seeking revenge against the man who’d changed all of their lives after a chilling family tragedy: their own father. It’s the kind of modern Greek tragedy infused tale that felt ripe for exploration on the big screen.
Now, an Is God Is film is coming to theaters on May 15 with Harris as its director in her feature film debut. And it is a stunning, sobering, and stylish meditation on vengeance, redemption, Black girl rage, and the deep wounds that misogynoir leaves when it sinks its teeth into our community. It’s unfortunately and incredibly timely in 2026, where we’ve seen several high-profile stories of Black women and girls losing their lives to male romantic partners and even patricide. But, to juxtapose that bleakness, there’s moments of carefree Black girl existence and cathartic release that feel both disturbing and soothing.
Like the play, the film follows fraternal twin sisters Racine (Kara Young) and Anaia (Mallori Johnson), whose lives were irrevocably damaged after a callous and brutal act committed by their father when they were much younger. Because of him, the duo has disfiguring burn scars and endured a life of foster care drama, stares and ridicule, and enough pent up anger to burn a mansion. Is God Is parses through their connection as siblings, in some way leaning into the typical birth order dynamic with Racine as the “Rough One” and de facto decision maker to Anaia’s role as the “Quiet One” who sheepishly follows her sister’s lead.
Young and Johnson’s chemistry and the physicality they bring to their roles is beguiling and breathes such refreshingly relatable energy into their characters. They are undoubtedly the heart and soul of this story as they go on an unthinkable journey of revenge and self-discovery, for better and worse. After believing that their mother succumbed to her wounds years ago, she reaches out to them with a letter, summoning them to the Deep South. And, as anyone who has been to the South (where I happen to be born, raised, and still live), it is a living, breathing character of its own with gnarled trees, buzzing insects, and expansive landscapes.
After arriving there, Racine and Anaia’s dying mother proposes that they find and kill their biological father to seek the vengeance that they’ve all wanted their entire lives. Asking two twentysomething women to find and kill their likely psychopathic dad, if he’s even still alive, is a wild proposition. Is God Is marries spaghetti western themes, Black Southern Gothic elements, sleuthing adventures, and the dark comedic tenets of a buddy road trip together to craft a wholly unique journey.
It dares to do what we don’t get enough of in mainstream media: nuanced depictions of Black woman/girl rage and violence. Think Angela Bassett torching her cheating husband’s car after he leaves her for a white co-worker in Waiting to Exhale, but far more ominous. Racine and Anaia are given the space to explore their inherited and righteous anger in copious amounts, but we also see their deep seeded fears and the pain that churns in their emotional and spiritual bellies.
RELATED ARTICLETHE ANGRY BLACK GIRL AND HER MONSTER Is a Harrowing Take on the FRANKENSTEIN TaleAs its AAVE inspired name suggests, this film is rich with religious allegories. Some are quite upfront, like calling their mother God (Vivica A. Fox) and placing her on an otherworldly pedestal because, well, she did create them from her womb. And, there’s also the implied wondering about a traditional God and why this benevolent being would allow such horror to transpire in their lives. Looking to their God for salvation from the Hell that the Devil (Sterling K. Brown) created for them and obeying HER word to seek freedom is the cornerstone of their journey. Speaking of Brown, he’s a stunning and sinister force before we even see his full face. His approach to this character could have easily come off as a cartoonish villain in less capable hands, but he makes some surprising vocal and physical acting choices that are absolutely arresting. Orion Pictures At a turning point in the girl’s journey, they run into their father’s former lawyer (Mykelti Williamson). A man who formerly used his gift of gab and persuasion to sway the law his way, he’s now unable to speak after Racine and Anaia’s father cut his tongue out. It is a judgement and a price he paid for speaking untruths in the name of winning in court. He writes down a chilling message that sets the stage for the film’s bloody, bizzare, and brutal third act: “Careful with vengeance, one doesn’t know where the blood will land.” And boy does it land in a way that explores the price that one could potentially play for making the score event. From its deft pacing to sharp cinematography to stellar support cast like Erika Alexander and Janelle Monae, Is God Is feels like a twisted fever dream that’s modern, vintage, chaotic, and sobering with an ending that will lodge itself in your brain for days after you leave the theater. The allure of violence to obtain power and find release, complexities of mental health after layers of dysfunction and duress, and grieving the life and familial unit that one may never have all truly shine in Is God Is. It is a film with heart that you have to experience in theaters.Is God Is ⭐ (4.5 of 5)
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This articles is written by : Nermeen Nabil Khear Abdelmalak
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