Is God Is follows twins Racine (Kara Young) and Anaia (Mallori Johnson), and the strongest element of the movie is the way writer-director Aleshea Harris, adapting her own play, captures their double-ness and closeness with the filmmaking. Split screens are employed to witty effect, while “dialogue” scenes involve the twins looking at each other in silence as the words of their exchange appear in the air between them. Unfortunately, such verve and liveliness feels at odds with the traumatic story, in which the twins’ dying mother (Vivica A. Fox) commands them to hunt down and kill their father for setting her on fire when they were young. All sorts of bloodiness ensues, along with circular conversations between the sisters over the justifications for their actions. There’s a glibness to the brutality—both described and depicted—that recalls the thinness of subpar Tarantino. Yet if Is God Is falls short of being a provocative revenge movie (it also fails to intriguingly flesh out the many religious references, starting with the title), the film nevertheless serves as a calling card for Harris, should she want to pursue other projects for the big screen. There is a freshness to her technique that’s undeniable.
(7/13/2026)
