IS GOD IS: So Disturbing You Can’t Turn Away
Bonnie DeShong
Photo Credit – Patti Perret
Is God Is began as a play written by Aleshea Harris. In 2018, a production directed by Taibi Magar opened Off-Broadway at Soho Rep, running from February 6 to March 11, and won 3 OBIE awards.
Fast forward to 2026, and Aleshea Harris has brought the story of twenty-one-year-old twin sisters, who were badly burned in a fire, on a quest to find their father and get revenge on him and all he loves.
This is Aleshea Harris’ directorial debut, and she receives big props for bringing the play to the screen in a powerful way. The casting is on point, with Sterling K. Brown in the role of Man. The way he embodies this role is disturbing. What enhances this is Aleshea’s decision on how his character appears in the film. As the girls’ father, he is cold, unfeeling, and downright scary. You don’t fully see his face until later in the film, which makes him even more menacing.
The casting of Kara Young as the intense, strong, kick-butt, protective sister Racine, and Mallori Johnson as the softer, somewhat timid Anaia, was spot on.
These girls have lived together, developed their own way of communicating, and do everything together. When their mother, Ruby (Vivica Fox), whom they thought was dead, calls them to her bedside and tells them to find their father and kill him for what he did to her and them, they set off to carry out her revenge.
This film is intense, featuring plenty of blood and violence, but it makes sense within the story. It touches on many topics, such as abuse, dominance, the legal system, anger, revenge, and denial, impacting women and children everywhere.
Many performances stand out, such as Erika Alexander as Divine, the off-balanced self-proclaimed evangelist who has erected a shrine to Man, awaiting his return, and her son, the girls’ half-brother Ezekiel, played by Josiah Cross, who is just as nutty as his mother. Mykelti Williamson plays the lawyer Chuck Hall, who represented Man in the case against Ruby. Janelle Monáe portrays Man’s wife Angie, who is trying to escape the madness she married into.
To be honest, I had to think about this film overnight. At one point, I experienced sensory overload. Once I digested it, I found I really liked the film. The acting was superb, the message was strong yet effective, and the levels of the story were intense.
What is the moral of IS GOD IS? Only you can determine that. I think it is worth seeing in the theater.
I give IS GOD IS 4 out of 5 winks of the EYE!
Until next time, keep your Eye to the sky!