The trailer for “Is God Is” — terrible title — certainly catches your attention. It’s all about revenge and RAGE. It plays like blaxploitation grindhouse.
Kara Young (“I’m a Virgo”) and Mallori Johnson (“Kindred”) star as twin sisters Racine and Anaia, who honor their dying mother’s final wish to hunt and destroy the family patriarch who tried to burn them alive. Aleshea Harris — an Obie-winning playwright adapting her own stage play — writes and directs the film.
The film isn’t shy in being unhinged — the mother is called “God” by her daughters. She’s still alive, heavily scarred, and wants violent revenge on her husband, their father, only referred to as “The Monster.”
All that is fine, but why name your film with that title? Amazon/MGM, backing “Is God Is,” already committed a titular misdeed with this month’s wobbly title “Crime 101.” There is certainly a demo of the moviegoing public who still pick which movie to watch purely based on a title — yes, these people still exist. Can you imagine them seeing a film called “Is God Is”? Even reading it aloud trips the brain. Is it a question? A statement? A typo? The repetition of “Is” at the end makes it feel unfinished, like the title itself hasn’t quite decided what it wants to be.
Regardless, the movie looks like grindhouse fun, the visuals pop, and the talent involved is certainly intriguing — and Amazon/MGM will actually be giving this a theatrical release, which they seem much more willing to do compared to their fellow streaming competitors, Apple and Netflix.
The rest of the cast includes Janelle Monáe, Vivica A. Fox, and Sterling K. Brown, featured alongside Erika Alexander, Mykelti Williamson, and Josiah Cross.
“Is God Is” is set to hit theaters on May 15.
Padraic McKinley, who directed this year's "The Weight," is on board to direct from a script by Oscar nominee Steven Knight, suggesting Taylor Sheridan's original draft has been set aside.