Is God Is follows twin sisters and burn victims Racine (Kara Young) and Anaia (Mallori Johnson) in their adventure across the South to fulfill their vengeful mission from God. In this case, however, God is more than just a religious figure from whom to seek guidance. For Racine and Anaia, God is their estranged mother (Vivica A. Fox). The mission She asks of them is to kill their abusive, sadistic father (Sterling K. Brown) for his violence against them.
“Make yo daddy dead,” She instructs from where She is bedbound. “Dead. Dead. Dead.”
What transpires is a film about the bonds of sisterhood traveling alongside a question many of us have probably asked ourselves at multiple points in our lives: How far would you go to enact revenge?
As the girls make their way from Virginia through the rural South in a beat up Oldsmobile, the exact locations are left ambiguous for the viewer to fill in. Directed by Aleshea Harris, Is God Is comes from Harris’s stage production, adapted by her for the screen. It is equal parts bleak and epic, each moment an exploration of spirituality, morality, and the experiences victims like Anaia and Racine go through each day.
Knowing that Is God Is first existed as a stage production leaves me curious about how its narration worked. In the film, our narrator changes with the POV of the girls; the words appear on the screen in non-traditional ways, reflecting the flow of the speech. It’s a testament to Harris’s talent that this was adapted so seamlessly, that whatever needed to be adjusted was done so in a way that, had I not already known it existed as a play, I would have never suspected.
There is one aspect, though, that seems to stem from theatre. The film puts an emphasis on vocal clarity, making sure that each inflection cracks through the air like a willow branch, much like theatre performers must do on stage.
Young and Johnson do a remarkable job bringing the sisters to the screen. Much of their communication is done through looks and twin telepathy, cementing that unshakable bond that forms the foundation of this story. It is, ultimately, what also makes the ending that much more difficult.
Brown commands every second of the scenes he’s in. Is God Is explores the kind of masculinity that thrives on controlling everything, which is especially evident in his newest wife, Angie (Janelle Monae). Her introduction is a manic voiceover about how everything needs to be done to his specifications. Every consequence is about what he will do to her.
Brown exists as a nameless character throughout the film, and a faceless one for most of it. And yet the manipulative nature of his character, his unpredictability, comes through chillingly long before he reveals his face.
Is God Is asks of us: Are people inherently good, or is there a wickedness that blooms in some? Their mother’s request seems selfish in nature, especially by Anaia, but it’s handled by Harris in a way that also puts you in Racine’s shoes.
If this film is indicative of Harris’s ability to make the switch onscreen, it seems likely that future awards will stem from more than just theatre.
About Is God Is
In Is God Is, two sisters embark on an epic quest for revenge, confronting a charged family history that will push them to extraordinary lengths. The film is Aleshea Harris’ directorial debut and is based on Harris’ adaptation of her award-winning play of the same name.
Is God Is is playing in theaters now.
