By Sharai Bohannon

Aleshea Harris’ directorial debut is cool, violent, messy, and important work.

Many films want to say something about generational trauma, feminine rage, and systems that are broken in huge part because of the insidious patriarchal tyranny the human race seems hellbent on upholding. However, most of those movies fail because they pull their punches and dodge the intersectionality that would allow them to explore anything interesting. Luckily, Is God Is is not like those other projects.

Is God Is introduces us to twins who bear physical scars, reminding them of their father’s wrath. Racine (Kara Young) and Anaia (Mallori Johnson) were casualties when their dad decided to set their mother on fire when she tried to escape his abuse with her daughters. Because of this horrifying event, the twins were put into the foster system and forgotten. Now that they are adults, they are trying to piece together a life as they continue to cling to each other. 

This seems to be their normal until they receive a letter from their mother, who they haven’t seen since they were small children. They find her, Ruby the God (Vivica A. Fox), still angry about the fire that consumed her and left even more damage to her body than both of her daughters. Ruby tells the girls the story of that awful night that changed all three of their trajectories. She then tells them that she wants them to kill their father for what he did to them. This sets the twins down a path of uncovering more secrets, learning about the monster who harmed them and disappeared, and ultimately testing their own sisterly bond.

Writer and director Aleshea Harris, who adapted the film from her play of the same name, puts forth an impressive effort. Especially for a first feature with so many moving parts. Is God Is is stylish, important, violent, and urgent. It also makes time for moments of Black girl joy while holding space for justifiable Black girl rage. Harris has also been given an amazing cast, and allows them all to be complicated and tragically human.

Young and Johnson bring these twins to life while making them feel like people we know. It’s hard not to think of the women in our lives who settled for lesser men because society deemed them unfit for love due to the cards they were dealt. The women who seemingly apologize for existing because they have to carry physical scars from childhood neglect. The duo makes this ride fun and never allows you to disengage with them. While they have nothing but love for each other, Racine’s rage simmers while Anaia’s longing for love radiates off of her. They are two sides of the same coin and balance each other out. They are also the only people they can rely on in this unrelenting life they have lived. 

Harris also struck gold in Sterling K. Brown as the Monster. Brown is mostly known for playing likeable and sympathetic characters. He tosses all of that out the window as he becomes the soft-spoken abuser way too many of us are familiar with. The scariest monsters are always the quiet ones, and Brown embodies that in this role. You can almost see why these women would’ve stayed as long as they did, and how they possibly found it hard to believe the violence he rained on them. By the time the twins make their bloody way to this final boss battle, it is very apparent that there is no truly happy ending for anyone in this story. 

Is God Is gets under the skin and sits with you the way heavy films do. The blending of genres, the fun aesthetic choices, and the hurt mixed with the humor make it a watchable movie. However, the way it holds space for the intersection of Black girl rage and sadness while reminding people that Black women have been habitually disrespected is why it still has a grasp on me. We see the internet practice misogynoir every day and watch the reports of women no longer with us because they dared to reject, or leave, a man. We also cannot help but notice how quickly these stories disappear and how the culture turns on the victim. She “provoked him” and “should’ve known when to stop talking” or should have “had a better plan to escape.” 

How many of us have read/heard that Jonathan Majors (and other abusers) should’ve been dating a Black woman when caught beating their partners? Whether this is because they believe we deserve this violence, or are pointing out that the police wouldn’t care, it’s still jarring to see our own community yell this on each social media platform. How often do Black women feel like they cannot report domestic violence because they are worried their partners might become another victim of police violence (should the police actually intervene)? Speaking of, will the abuse Megan Thee Stallion suffered ever not be the butt of a joke?

So, while Is God Is is not a perfect film, it makes you angry when you think about the broken systems of a society that refuses to see Black women as people. The medical field ignores our pain, even at Serena Williams’ level. Alleged comedians can verbally attack us from the Oscars stage for daring not to leave the public eye because of alopecia. It’s hard being a Black woman because the world makes you feel like you’re too much simply for breathing. Which is why a film about Black women choosing revenge is healing. While Racine is more into killing their father than Anaia, it becomes clear that they both need this. The audience also needs this because Black girl rage is the purest form of Black girl magic. There is an unmatched catharsis to seeing a Black woman land a punch with the thing that tried to kill her. 

As a recovering theatre kid who is highly invested in Black feminine rage in the media, Is God Is is very much on my frequency. However, that does not mean that some of the struggles to adapt this play for the big screen did not stick out to me. While some of it works and allows audiences a surprise chuckle during some dark moments, others weigh the film down and make it feel longer than it is. We also have some dialogue that feels almost out of place. Yet, the film is audacious, cool, unique, and healing in ways you would not expect. We also do not get a perfect and pretty ending as the movie refuses to make an easy way out for these complicated characters.

Is God Is is relentless and for the culture. It is a film that loves Black women. However, it asks us to love ourselves and understand that we get to feel our feelings about the things that happen to us. It knows our rage can reshape us, but also knows it’s a justified emotion that we shouldn’t feel ashamed of. This movie is a strong debut for Harris that leaves you wondering what’s next for this filmmaker. Hopefully, she continues making messy and necessary films that are revelations. This work is important and does a lot of heavy lifting in a world that refuses to make space for Black women.