Move over Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” because I think “Is God Is” will be the epic film of the summer.
Based on director Aleshea Harris' 2018 play of the same name, “Is God Is” is a thrilling revenge story. The film follows the story of African American twins Racine (Kara Young) and Anaia (Mallori Johnson), when they are told by their mother, “God” (Vivica A. Fox), to go “make your daddy (Sterling K. Brown) dead” because he lit her and the twins on fire.
What I enjoyed the most was how much the film felt like an epic journey for these two characters. The twins traverse through the country in a classic “hero’s journey,” a common narrative structure used in stories. This structure made the film feel familiar, but with the added play-like elements, such as the characters speaking their thoughts out loud, it provided a fresh take on the trope.
The film’s structure was reminiscent of epics such as “O Brother, Where Art Thou?,” “The Iliad” or “The Aeneid.”
Like every good epic, the heroes of “Is God Is” encounter unique challenges throughout their journey. The first two encounters of the journey with the cult of Divine (Erika Alexander) and then Chuck Hall (Mykelti Williamson), their father’s lawyer, were low stakes, introducing what each sister was capable of. And then the buildup reaches its peak during the final encounter at their father's house, where the twins show their growth throughout the film.
This story also has a distinctly African American flair.
One of the film’s producers, Tessa Thompson, known best for her role in “Thor: Ragnarok,” said in an interview with The New York Times, “I feel so often that Black women just don’t get to be subjects and are more likely to be the objects in a narrative.”
Racine and Anaia are far from presenting as merely objects in this film. They are given compassion, concern, bloodlust, rage and the ability to be a little bad.
The two sisters are quite different, and throughout the film, they grow in different ways. As twins, they seem similar in appearance and action, but they foil each other in personality, with Racine as “the rough one” and Anaia as “the quiet one.”
In the film’s beginning, Racine describes herself as a “killer,” to Anaia’s chagrin. And as the movie progresses, we see how ruthless and bloodthirsty Racine really is as she kills people for even the most minor inconveniences, like someone calling her sister “ugly.”
I was quite emotional when I saw Anaia go from being meek and unwilling to take revenge on their father, to finally standing up to him at the end of the movie. Racine had a similar transformation, as she began to let her intense nature fade after she realized it frightened Anaia. It felt like each sister helped mellow the other out, allowing each other to become the best versions of themselves.
Another interesting aspect of the film is that for many of the characters, after someone is introduced, they only have one or two scenes in the whole movie.
With recognizable actresses like Fox and Janelle Monáe, I was expecting them to reappear throughout the film. However, due to the film’s play-like nature, they each only got a single scene to shine. I think this exemplifies the theatrical roots of this story.
Overall, I highly recommend that you take the time to see “Is God Is” this month. I can see it getting nominated for several awards next year given the unique, play-like style and Harris’ distinct voice. And I can’t wait to see if Harris has any other stories in store for us in the future, whether that be a play or film.
