Aleshea Harris’ stage production of Is God Is is now a motion picture that she has adapted for the screen AND directed, which I think is a good thing. Given its very dark and intense storyline and subject material, I am not sure that putting this in the hands of anyone else would be able to translate her vision in the way she was able to do. And let’s also recognize right off the bat that this is her first foray into film, and it’s that much more impressive.
Flying in the face of the concept of tragedy giving way to heroism, Racine (Kara Young) an Anaia (Mallori Johnson) are twins having survived a horrific accident that left burn scars on both of their bodies. Struggling to make ends meet, they receive a letter from their mother (whom they thought was dead) to come see her. After doing so, they are tasked to find the man who caused their pain (Sterling K. Brown) and make him pay. Their quest takes a number of twists and turns as they bear witness to the path of destruction he has left on a number of lives in a number of ways in order to bring closure to the pain and suffering they have carried for a lifetime.
With a cast that also includes Vivica A. Fox, Mykelti Williamson, Janelle Mone, and Erika Alexander, this film comes in like a wrecking ball and doesn’t stop destroying everything around it until the credits roll. Young and Johnson are forces of nature as twins whose bond while unbreakable shows cracks in the armor that lead to some VERY rough decisions displayed in some of the most graphic of ways. There are moments of conversation that I am interested in how they were portrayed on the stage between them (which I am sure are effective, but could be done in a couple of different ways) that enhance the portrayal of their closeness and help show the razor’s edge of their differences in philosophies that much more clearly. There is even a level of this story that mirrors the Nietzche quote used in The Crow that plays into the title of this film that makes the story that much more engaging as the twins’ motivations change and evolve scene by scene.
Talking too much about this film would honestly do it a disservice, as it is much more effective to go into Is God Is as cold as possible. Very Tarantino-esque with a modern grindhouse aesthetic that makes it stand out all on its own, this is a must-see for those that can handle its dark and violent tone with visceral visuals that up the intensity that much more. This is a film that demands to be noticed and recognized as one of the best I have seen so far this year. Check it out!