There are many astonishing things about Aleshea Harris's Is God Is, but one of the most astonishing is that it's based on a play. This dynamic road movie full of fire and violence and roiling emotions, which feels (at least from the trailer) like a Quentin Tarantino movie, was once performed on stage. I have no idea how one could become the other, but I'm impressed. The movie is a profound look at the trauma and pain of a Black family. Twins Racine (Kara Young) and Anaia (Mallori Johnson) sport long, blonde dreadlocks, and both are covered with burn scars, Racine on her arm and hand and Anaia on her face. They sometimes communicate almost telepathically, their words appearing like subtitles on the screen for the rest of us. They receive a letter from their mother and go to see her, where they learn that their father start a fire that burned all three women and then abandoned them. Their mother (whom Racine refers to as "God") orders them to find their father and kill him. Thus begins a vengeful odyssey as the twins follow the path of betrayal and hurt left by their father (played by a terrifying Sterling K. Brown). It may seem simple, but it's steeped in the Black experience and systemic racism, where nothing comes easy for these characters, and violence comes with consequences.
Alliance's Blu-ray release is a bare-bones affair, with only various language (English, English Description, French, Spanish) and subtitle (English, SDH, French, Spanish) options.
