Is God Is (2026) Orion/Drama-Thriller RT: 99 minutes Rated R (strong bloody violence and language) Director: Aleshea Harris Screenplay: Aleshea Harris Music: Joseph Shirley Cinematography: Alexander Dynan Release date: May 15, 2026 (US) Cast: Kara Young, Mallori Johnson, Janelle Monae, Erika Alexander, Mykelti Williamson, Josiah Cross, Xavier Mills, Justen Ross, Vivica A. Fox, Sterling K. Brown.
Rating: ***
Is God Is, it’s what happens when arthouse meets grindhouse. It’s based on the play by Aleshea Harris who writes, directs and co-produces (with Creed actress Tessa Thompson among others) this cinematic adaptation. It filters heavy themes of morality and the complexity of black women through the lens of a revenge thriller. Although set in the present, its gritty aesthetic recalls 1970s exploitation filmmaking. I can almost see it playing at a sleazy theater on 42nd Street. Almost.
The story centers on twin sisters Racine (Young) and Anaia (Johnson) who still carry the physical and psychological scars of their father’s attempt to burn them and their mother to death. One day, they are summoned to the bedside of their dying mother who they call God (Fox, Kill Bill: Vol. 1). They didn’t even know she survived the incident until just now. She orders them to find the man who did this to them and kill him. Her exact words, “Make yo daddy dead. Dead.” This means a road trip through the South to track him down.
As twins, Racine and Anaia aren’t stereotypes. They’re neither total duplicates nor complete opposites. They typically function as a unit, but they’re also individuals in terms of personality. They do, however, share a strong psychic bond with their unspoken words communicated to the audience via captions that dance across the scene.
Racine is the aggressive one. She’s fiercely protective of her sister as shown in the opening flashback scene when she beats another kid with a baseball bat for mocking Anaia’s appearance. She the most open to meting out justice to their father. Anaia, the sibling that got the worst of it is the fire, is quieter. She listens while others speak and shout. She’s not sure if she’s capable of killing anyone, not even a proven monster like Dad. She follows Racine’s lead because she’s her sister, really the only family each of them have, and that’s what sisters do.
Their unsentimental journey takes them to church leader Mother Divine (Alexander, Get Out), her son Ezekiel (Cross, A Thousand and One) and a mute lawyer (Williamson, Forrest Gump) before they finally find their father. You might have noticed I haven’t named the actor playing the role. That’s because Harris takes a unique approach to how he’s depicted. For most of the film, we only see fragments of his physical being (e.g. mouth, hands and back). It’s a bold creative choice that allows us to feel his evil essence without the distraction of an actor’s familiar face. We get to see the man (Brown, This Is Us) in full eventually. By the time we do, the depth of his malevolence is effectively established.
I don’t know if I’d call Is God Is a great film, but it’s definitely an interesting one. I love how it deftly walks a fine line between deep serious drama and Southern-fried revenge thriller. It’s like a cross between Kill Bill and Eve’s Bayou. The two leads, Young and Johnson, do an incredible job as yin and yang twins. Young, as the alpha twin, has this stare that burns a hole right through the person on the receiving end. She has a softer side that shows when it comes to taking care of her sister, rubbing ice on her scars every night to soothe the burning. Johnson might be less prone to violence, but she has it in her. Anaia possesses an inner strength that’s not always obvious, but is nonetheless evident. The two actresses have strong chemistry. The twin sisterly bond can be felt as well as seen.
Fox, bedridden and covered with burn scars, has only one scene but it’s a doozy. To her daughters, she is God. She makes the audience believe it too with the way she commands the scene. Brown is evil personified as the antagonist, a man who lives by a code of violence and cruelty. He has a new family, but still operates by the same rules. His current wife, played brilliantly by singer Janelle Monae (Hidden Figures), tries to leave only to encounter the twins who have other plans for her. Really, the whole cast does an amazing job. Each one fits into his or her role perfectly.
I love the look of Is God Is. I love how cinematographer Alexander Dynan utilizes a sepia filter to create a distinction between the present and the past. The gritty, sun-baked aesthetic serves the story very well. The production design by Freyja Bardell is an asset as are the costumes, hair and makeup. None of it has the polished look of a major Hollywood production. It looks authentic to the setting and characters. It gives the film a greater sense of realism.
Is God Is sputters occasionally. It also tends to get weighed down by its loftier themes like reaping what one sows. It’s nonetheless a fascinating film fueled by righteous fury. And it leads to a mostly satisfying conclusion. I’ll just say that there’s only one right way for Is God Is to end and Harris finds it. What she probably can’t decide is whether it should be in arthouse cinemas or grindhouse theaters. Hey, why not both?
