Is God Is
- Jun 15
- 3 min read
A unique, Southern Grindhouse flick with some serious dramatic roots, IS GOD IS delivers big laughs, tight suspense and some great performances, dripping with blood on its quest for vengeance.
This one ain't for the kids.
Two sisters scarred literally and figuratively by their violent family past, Racine (Kara Young) and Anaia (Mallori Johnson) live a symbiotic existence on the fringe. Both have serious scars from a horrific fire. Racine's are mostly on her one arm, neck and back, while Anaia's swirl up over her entire face in a mask of pain. Racine has spent her entire life protecting her twin from relentless taunts, stares and cruelty.
After losing another job, they get a message from their long lost Mother, who they thought was dead from the same fire.
Their Mom Ruby (VivIca A. Fox, buried under many layers of burn victim makeup) summons them to meet with her and gives them one task, to murder their Father, the Man responsible for the fire that impacted the rest of their lives.
Watching Racine and Anaia's reactions to this quest brilliantly carves out how different two twins can be, while knowing each other's pain and feeling every moment of each other's existence.
Writer/Director Aleshea Harris blasts her way onto the screen in her feature film debut, basing the movie on her stage play of the same name, but visually opening it up into a mad road trip with a Southern Gothic and Classic Western feels. I would be fascinated to see the original stage play to see her magic at work.
The trail of characters that Racine and Anaia follow to their Father, referred only to as "The Man" is twisted, hilarious and lethal in equal measure.
Mykelti Williamson (Forrest Gump) is excellent as a lawyer that once worked for The Man, who ripped his tongue out for fear the lawyer might talk. He does all his talking on a white board he keeps with reach. At one point, he writes down for the twins: "Careful with vengeance. You never know where the blood will land." Indeed.
Erika Alexander plays Divine, the minister of a tiny church whose members seem to throw the devil himself around like a shadow. Divine was the woman into whose arms The Man went after torching his wife and twin daughters. The entire scene is hilarious from the moment the twins walk in the doors of the church until their hilarious parting lines as they exit.
Eventually, the girls get to their Dad's house, delivering a final 30 minutes that feels like a Tarantino dialogue-driven suspense scene packed with violent surpriseS, twists and turns.
Like a QT film, its bloody AND horrifying in equal measure.
Young and Johnson are both fearless in their roles as Racine & Anaia. Very different, but equally powerful, they create two very distinct young women serving as the hand of God, or at least their Mom. Vengance is mine, saith the Lord.
Walking into the film in its final act, Sterling K. Brown (Paradise, This is Us) creates one of the most evil men ever to stroll into a film. He gives off serious "Kill Bill" vibes as a man who doesn't waste a word, but always seeks control.
I was on the edge of my seat for the entire final act. Harris delivers a powerful ending to her tale and her actors take the material to another level as twenty years of family history, terror and mystery comes to a boiling point.
It may be only halfway through 2026, but I can't imagine a more assured, confident hand in the Director's chair for a film debut this year than Aleshea Harris. She delivers something TRULY different with power, style and in-your-face bold characters that I won't soon forget. Her style is poured all over the film, with unspoken communication between the twins in unique font splattered on the screen and pops of violence that startle in their intensity.
IS GOD IS gets a very solid B.
Can't wait to see what Harris does next.
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