[Rating: Minor Rock Fist Down]
Recently, I got to meet and form a close bond with my brother I never knew I had. Many would say we’re twins because of how similar we look despite our three year age difference. We’ve started thinking the same and noticing the similarities we share, despite growing up worlds apart from one another. In the twisted world that writer turned director Aleshea Harris offers in her directorial debut, Is God Is, two twin sisters who share a bond like no other, seek to avenge their mother against their father. Unfortunately, the final product of the film as a whole is way too familiar, despite being promised the ultimate revenge flick.
Based on Harris’ play, Is God Is tells of twins Racine (Kara Young) and Anaia (Mallori Johnson). Both girls are burn victims and have never let that define them. Racine has always stuck up for her sister who has burn scars all along her face, which scares those she encounters. One day, Racine receives a letter from their mother, even though both girls believe she died in the fire that scarred them. As it turns out, their mother, God (Vivica A. Fox) is alive, but only for now as she asks her girls for one request. God wants the girls to find their father, who burned all three of them in a sadistic house fire.
Soon, the girls set off to find their father (Sterling K. Brown). Their first stop leads them to his second wife, Divine (Erika Alexander), a crazed religious woman who has nothing but hate for the girls. Next, Chuck the lawyer (Mykelti Williamson) who has been also physically damaged by the girl’s father, and is waiting for his eventual death at the hands of the girls. Finally, the girls learn that dad has a New Wife (Janelle Monae) and a set of twin brothers, the final step into finding their father and getting the ultimate revenge.
On paper, IsGod Is really should have been more exciting. I guess I went into it all thinking I was getting a Tarantino level of intensity inside of a pretty small feeling film. I was bored through most of it, especially because I’ve seen revenge stories that have better story lines and action moments. Everybody in this film is just angry, and actions taken to the innocent are really not that justified. I will say that Young and Johnson are very good at this, and I believed they were twins, just from very passionate moments of facial expressions as forms of communication. Also, the moments the film switches to Sepia tone is a solid way to tell a flashback! It’s just, in the grand scheme of things, this was nothing but a copy and paste that gets very jammed.
Christian Ramos is a classic film fan, having had the dream to host Turner Classic Movies for years now. He also has a large amount of Oscar trivia in his head, remembers dressing as Groucho Marx one Halloween, and cherishes the moment Julianne Moore liked his tweet.
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