Is God Is Review

Revenge is one of the most fascinating genres in all forms of literature. Oftentimes it falls into one of two camps: fascist dream fulfillment or moralistic grandstanding about how revenge makes the vengeful just as bad as their target. While both of these tried and true formats have resulted in countless great works of art, there really is so much more room for nuance that often goes unexplored. Sometimes, revenge is the right thing to do. And sometimes, an artist can be bold enough to tell that story.

Based on her 2018 play of the same name, Aleshea Harris’ Is God Is is a bold debut feature. It begins with a pair of twin sisters, Racine (Kara Young) and Anaia (Mallori Johnson). Racine is shorter but filled with a bold attitude, and has burn scars on at least her arm and neck. Anaia, although taller, is more meek, due in no small part to the fact that she also has burn scars that cover her face. Immediately their bond is obvious, with Racine being protective of her sister, and the two seem to be able to converse without saying a word. Maybe they really have a bond beyond what humans consider possible, or maybe their intuition with each other is just that good, but the movie makes sure to not leave the audience wondering as these thoughts are captioned onscreen, a fine stylistic choice. They receive a message from God, because who is God other than the person who gives life? In this case, God is their mother, Ruby (Vivica A. Fox), who they believed to be long dead when they were orphaned at a young age. God is about to die and she wants her twins to travel from the Northeastern states to the Deep South so that she can see them one final time.

God clearly caught the worst case of the fire that affected them both. Laid up in a hospital bed, almost all of her flesh covered, she wants the girls to know that their father (Sterling K. Brown) did this to all of them. He set her on fire, and Anaia clung to her desperately trying to help, leading to her more severe burns. He then went on with his life like nothing ever happened, leaving them for dead and starting a new family. God’s dying wish is that her daughters make their father pay for what he did. He has to die. She has a good idea of how to find him, and she shows the pair the true extent of the damage his flames did to her body to motivate them.

Their contemplation period is brief as they set off with the clues they have, bringing them through a cultlike church fellowship, a crooked lawyer, the woman who replaced God, and just maybe eventually to their absent parental figure.

Sharing the actual journey would be doing Is God Is a disservice. This is a powerful tale of young black women on a quest to do what needs to be done, come Hell or high water. This feels like a reflection of Aleshea Harris’ intent to get this unconventional take on a familiar genre before as many eyes as possible. These women aren’t superheroes. They’re not Pam Grier. They’re raw, real, and armed with their wits and a weapon as unexpected as anything else in this tale. It simultaneously feels modern and ancient, a tale as familiar as the journey of Odysseus and as original as anything likely to hit the screen this year. Unfortunately, atonement for the sins of the father is timeless. Instead of simply unleashing these two on a rip-roaring rampage of revenge, the audience is forced to think about things. Sure, their father may try to convince them that their mother was actually the one to blame. He’s handsome. He’s charming. He’s used that to his advantage all of his life in a system that lets men get away with their wicked deeds while further punishing the women they hurt. When the system doesn’t protect victims and punish the wicked, then perhaps vengeance is truly justified. In fact, sometimes it might be a greater sin not to stop the continued cycle of abuse. Naturally, anyone seeking vengeance won’t be the same at the end of their journey, but perhaps that is a sacrifice that just has to be made.

While it may require a second viewing to really settle, Is God Is just might be the best movie of 2026 so far, notably releasing a week prior to the wide release of Boots Riley’s I Love Boosters, a wildly different and also unmissable story of black women banding together to take on the powerful and cruel. Young and Johnson give incredible performances as the twins, beautiful and fearless all the way, carrying the entire movie together, with most other actors only appearing for a single scene. Vivica A. Fox does her most notable work in years here, in an interesting casting choice that almost feels like counterprogramming to one of her most famous roles in Kill Bill, a movie ostensibly about how cool revenge can be, and one that gives her about as much screentime. The great Mykelti Williamson also makes a strong impression as a crooked lawyer, Janelle Monáe turns in good work as the other wife, but the smartest casting choice is easily Sterling K. Brown as their father, handsome and charming and terrifying all at once. In a movie that defies genre conventions from one scene to the next, the inevitable meeting between the estranged family members is an acting powerhouse from all involved. Is God Is is unlike anything that has come before it, and will likely only be matched by Aleshea Harris’ subsequent efforts, a movie that exists as a strong testament to the time-honored fact that black women can always be trusted to get the tough jobs done.

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