(Review) ‘Is God Is’ Revels in Cathartic But Uncomplicated Revenge

Playwright Alesha Harris’ directorial debut IS GOD IS promises a unique spin on the revenge thriller in its’ opening scenes. Severely burned twins Racine the Rough (Kara Young) and Anaia The Quiet One (Mallori Johnson) receive a commandment from their dying mother (Vivica A Fox) to hunt down the abusive father (Sterling K. Brown) who lit the match. We watch the horrors he inflicted upon them via a sepia toned flashback. The top half of Brown’s face is obscured. We only see his wicked smile and callous body language leading up to this horrific act. He’s referred to only as “The Monster,” while Fox is called God. This establishes a gothic tone that could set up a harrowing road trip towards catharsis. However, IS GOD IS  never quite delivers an unsettling world befitting of this fanciful tone. The film is based on Harris’ play of the same name and the rigidity of that format quickly rears its head. We only have time for a couple of lengthy standoffs with essential characters who bring us closer to The Monster. Everyone’s convictions remain steadfast along the way and nobody truly gets their hands dirty until it feels somewhat clean and justified.

Thankfully, Young and Johnson both deliver excellent performances that keep us feeling driven. Racine is hellbent on killing The Monster and anyone who gets in her way. This intensity quickly frightens Anaia, who has a softer heart despite being far more severely affected by The Monster’s attack on her. Her face is almost completely covered in scars, preventing her from truly connecting with other people. Racine was only scarred on her arms and has been able to move through the world far more easily. As such, there’s a fascinating tension between their unexpected trade-off of anger. Anaia in theory should feel more righteous but she just doesn’t, often squirming at the violence that her sister commits along the way. It’s a beautifully realized dynamic that holds the entire film together. Harris’ most cinematically vibrant technique plays upon the sheer intensity of their bond. Often, they communicate only through facial expressions, so little snarky subtitles will appear in all corners of the screen to keep us in the loop. They are impeccably timed, containing all of IS GOD IS ’ sharpest punchlines.

For another revenge-driven horror film packed with brutal violence, sisterly conflict, and morally rotten rich people, check out our SXSW review of They Will Kill You.

It's just a shame that the people we meet along the way aren’t as layered. We have The Monster’s first post God entanglement, a preacher named Divine (Erika Alexander). She’s a unhelpful huckster with a fiercely devoted and rather odd son Ezekiel (Josiah Cross). There’s lawyer Chuck Hall (Mykelti Williamson) who has no tongue thanks to The Monster, he’s just an exposition dump. Then we meet his second wife Angie (Janelle Monáe, coming the closest to something more complex) who is plotting her escape and their two sons Riley (Justen Ross) and Scotch (Xavier Mills). They’re all shallow. Angie wants to leave The Monster but is still pretty cruel on her own terms. Riley is friendly until he isn’t, Scotch is a straight up mean bro. Their encounters play out exactly as expected to tee up an angst-ridden confrontation with The Monster. We cannot truly blame Racine and Anaia for any ways that they deal with these people. They are simple obstacles who never challenge them.  

This simplicity wouldn’t be such a problem if Harris didn’t display such clear ambition for IS GOD IS  to be more than just a southern gothic genre experiment. She wants this to feel morally ambiguous while serving us clear cut heroes and villains who do exactly what we expect. There’s nothing here that we cannot wave away as entitled and ordained to these women. Nevertheless, it is still an enjoyable ride from a promising filmmaker who is still ironing out her material and voice. I will certainly be on the lookout for her next film, which will hopefully not be constricted by being a play begging to be expanded to fit a cinematic scale. 

IS GOD IS is currently playing in theatres. 

What to read next: If you enjoy horror that mixes relationship dysfunction with outrageous violence and pitch-black humor, read our review of Over Your Dead Body.