Review: Revenge-Fueled ‘Is God Is’ Has a Distinct Voice and Sticks With You After the Credits

Stage-play adaptations have this way of making movies feel deeply personal while still being theatrical, and “Is God Is” feels exactly like that. It’s dramatic, funny, violent, weird, stylish, and honestly just a really good time. I genuinely wished the movie was longer because I wanted to stay with these characters more, especially the side characters who were all so entertaining and distinct. Even though the film already has a strong run-time, I still felt like I could have watched another hour of these people interacting. That says a lot about how well-written the movie is. You can absolutely tell it came from a stage play because the dialogue is so sharp and character-focused, but it never feels limited or trapped by that. Instead, it uses that theatrical structure to make every conversation feel intentional.

The premise itself is already interesting enough to pull you in. Two twin sisters, Racine and Anaia (Kara Young and Mallori Johnson), are sent on a revenge mission by their mother (Vivica A. Fox) after their father (Sterling K. Brown) horribly burned their family years ago. The movie basically becomes this darkly comedic “Kill Bill”-style journey where the twins travel around tracking down pieces of their father’s past before eventually confronting him directly. What I liked most about this structure was how the father’s violence hangs over the entire movie before we even fully meet him. Everywhere the twins go, there are traces of the damage he caused. It creates this looming feeling around him that makes him seem almost mythological at first.

Some Trauma is Softened

At the same time, I do think the movie could have pushed that even further. Because the audience is supposed to truly fear and hate this man, I wanted a little more wrath from him throughout the story. Obviously, the things he did are monstrous. He burned his wife and daughters over something completely stupid, abused his new wife, cut out his lawyer’s tongue, and, (**spoiler**), kills Racine at the end. None of that is minor. He is undeniably awful. 

But because the movie leans so heavily into comedy and stylized dialogue, some of that horror occasionally gets softened. I think the film sometimes becomes more interested in being clever and entertaining than fully sitting in the brutality of what these girls survived. That does not ruin the movie at all, but it did leave me wanting slightly more emotional weight behind the father himself.

Still, the heart of “Is God Is” is not really the father anyway. It is the relationship between the twins, and that is easily the strongest part of the film. Both actresses are absolute powerhouses. Their chemistry feels so natural that you completely buy them as sisters immediately. I loved the little “twin thing” they would do where they communicated with each other almost without words. It made them feel connected in a way that went beyond normal sibling relationships. They felt like opposites that completed each other, kind of a yin-yang dynamic, and the movie used that beautifully.

A Realistic Sister/Sister Relationship

What made their relationship feel even more real was that the movie did not romanticize sisterhood too much. They fought with each other. They annoyed each other. And they had petty arguments and random fun moments and all the little shenanigans sisters naturally have together. As a sister myself, I appreciated how authentic that felt. Their bond was strong, but it was never written as perfect. Even when they disagreed, there was never a point where they genuinely hated each other. That emotional consistency made the relationship feel believable.

Anaia tries to stop Racine from killing the twin brothers. Racine tells her she is going to regret it, and eventually she turns out to be right. But what I loved is that Racine never becomes cruel or smug about being correct. She does not hold it over Anaia’s head or become defensive; her main concern is just making sure her sister is okay. Moments like that are what made me get attached to them emotionally. Underneath all the violence and comedy, the movie is really about love between sisters and the lengths people go to protect each other.

A Creative Film

I loved how creative “Is God Is” felt overall. The dialogue, costumes, editing, and performances all had such a specific personality. Nothing about it felt generic. Even smaller characters who only appeared briefly still felt memorable because the writing gave everyone something unique. 

More than anything, though, I think the film reminded me how much I want to see more Black-oriented stories like this being made. There is something so refreshing about how creatively these stories are often told. This movie could have easily been made in a much safer or more conventional way, but instead it fully embraces being theatrical, surreal, funny, violent, and emotional all at once. It trusts the audience to go along with its style instead of trying to flatten itself into something more mainstream. The result is a movie that feels genuinely original.

A Film that Sticks With You

Even with the few issues I had regarding the father’s characterization, I still think the movie succeeds because its emotional core is so strong. The twins carry the entire story with performances that are funny, heartbreaking, and believable from beginning to end. Their relationship is what makes all of the revenge and violence matter. Without that connection, the movie would just be another stylish revenge film. But because the sisters feel so real together, the story ends up feeling surprisingly emotional.

Overall, “Is God Is” is one of those movies that sticks with you because it has such a distinct voice; it’s funny while still being tragic. It might not balance every single aspect perfectly, but it is creative, memorable, and driven by two incredible performances at its center. Most importantly, it understands that revenge stories only work when you care deeply about the people seeking revenge, and this movie absolutely makes you care about Racine and Anaia.

“Is God Is” is currently playing in theaters.