IS GOD IS -- A Gritty Modern Western that Celebrates Twin Magic

Review by Steve Barton II

The weird and uncanny magic between twins is a truly remarkable phenomenon. Twins have been portrayed in popular media starting as far back as freak show carnival attractions due to people and technology not understanding how twins are created. Since then, twins are often used to show how easy it is to mistake one person for another when they’re identical or even using the classic “good versus evil” approach with the evil twin often framing the good one. The classic example that Is God Is leans into is how twins have a telepathic bond and can communicate without expelling a single breath from their mouth. Is God Is is the debut of writer/director Aleshea Harris and it’s also based on a stage play that she created back in 2018. The story follows twin sisters, Racine (Kara Young) and Anaia (Mallori Johnson) as they reunite with their estranged mother (Vivica A. Fox) and she tasks them with getting revenge for herself and them by killing their father (Sterling K. Brown), who abandoned them after setting their mother and them on fire as children.

Over the last 15-20 years, the “good for her” subgenre in film has become increasingly popular. It’s more prolific in horror adjacent films like Revenge from Coralie Fargeat, but western crime dramas fit the bill too. The twins have carried their trauma openly for several years, especially due to the fact they have scars from the horrible burns all over their bodies, with Anaia’s even being on her face. With the added experience of them bouncing around foster families and learning to defend themselves, these twins have been transformed into time bombs fueled by the hate they receive. When you see the way people treat them verbally and physically, you understand and almost cheer for them to take their power back. The twins also play into the yin and yang philosophy, being opposites of one another with their aggression and personalities. While Racine is the aggressive twin, who will do or say anything to protect herself and her sister, Anaia is timid, quiet and can’t partake in the brutal violence with Racine. They balance out one another perfectly and make for a fierce duo that you’d hate to find yourself on the wrong side of.

With the added knowledge that Aleshea Harris created this first as a stage play, you can see how that plays into a few of the scenes in Is God Is. It becomes evident when you watch the actors play in the scene and how they blocked it out feels contained for good reason. With the production budget being under $20 million, showing a road trip revenge story is a tall task, especially if you want several locations. Harris makes the most of each location and helps you forget about that with the incredible special effects team. Due to Is God Is being a smaller budget film, the money has to be spent wisely and Harris made the right choice in spending it on the burn effects on the mother and twins. While pop culture has been almost cartoonish and disrespectful in their portrayal of burn victims in the past, these effects look medically accurate and they are shy about showing them in close-ups either. The fire effects that happened were incredibly effective when it was lighting on their burned skin, but the digital fire was damaging to my retinas.

The last 15-20 minutes of Is God Is is a bit too cliche and predictable, but it doesn’t ruin the whole experience. The gritty western feel of this movie feels like it could be inside of a Tarantino universe with the added brutal violence to place the cherry on top. The most compelling aspect of this film that made it stand out was the use of captions to show how the twins can communicate non-verbally. The term “twin telepathy” has been bastardized by shows like The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, but here it’s done with a comedic, but also heartfelt tone that helps show the deep connection between the twin sisters. While Kara and Mallori may be the stars of this wild ride, the magic wouldn’t have happened without the supporting cast of Sterling, Vivica, Janelle and the others who fill out this crazy world. If a modern western centered around twins on a brutal revenge mission sounds appealing, take a seat in the theater pew and check out Is God Is.

Is God Is graces the big screen starting May 15th!

Rating: 3/5