The trailer for “Is God Is” — terrible title — certainly caught my 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.”
Too bad I’m out of town and can’t see this one myself, especially with what look like stellar early reviews coming in. Could we be looking at a surprise critical hit here? It’s far too early to say for sure, but an 86 on Metacritic (from just six reviews) is already well beyond expectations. On Rotten Tomatoes, it’s sitting at 96% fresh from 26 reviews, with an average rating of 7.7/10.
This could be some grindhouse fun, the visuals popped in the trailer, and the talent involved is certainly intriguing — and Amazon/MGM will actually be giving this a theatrical release on Friday, 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 and is currently tracking toward a sub-$10M opening weekend. Is it opening in France? I’d happily buy a ticket to see it here. Otherwise, I’ll have to wait until I’m back.
Mukdeeprom is well known on the arthouse circuit for his work with Apichatpong Weerasethakul (“Memoria”), and he also shot three Guadagnino movies.