Aleshea Harris Talks Is God Is, Adapting the Play & Visual Inspirations Behind the Film

Added: 2026-05-15

[00:00:02]Sweet.

[00:00:03]>> [music] >> We got a letter from mama. I thought she was dead. What she want with us now?

[00:00:09]Where she been at? She's on her deathbed.

[00:00:13]If we don't go now, this might be our last chance. I need that Black Tree TV.

[00:00:20]I need that Black Tree TV. I need that Black Tree TV. Black Tree TV.

[00:00:28]Uh yeah, I'm excited to talk to you. I got to see the film. It is already one of my favorite films of the year. I think you did an absolutely tremendous job. Um what I first want to ask is this is a story that explores revenge, but also healing. How did you go about balancing those ideals without letting one overpower the other? Right. I so I think that the twins Racine and great device to balance those things.

[00:00:52]They They have different responses to the trauma, different ways of approaching life even. So to have these two women in scene neck and neck in lockstep was something I think that helped to keep that balance and to never let one overtake, right, was important.

[00:01:08]Like if there's one perspective, like what's the what's the the the alt to that perspective? And at every turn I tried to keep a hold of that.

[00:01:17]To seek God.

[00:01:18]>> God. She made us didn't she?

[00:01:28]>> [sighs] >> Girls, I'm going to make this real simple.

[00:01:33]Make your daddy dead.

[00:01:37]Real dead. Did you discover anything new about the story or any of the characters as you step behind the camera?

[00:01:44]Absolutely. There are some secrets that Racine and Anaiya had that I didn't discover until I made the film version of this story. There are things about the way that they their gaze on each other throughout life, what it means to be a sister who watches her sister be harmed in a particular way, what it means to be a sister who watches her sister react, who have a huge reaction to those harms in a way, like to hear that and to hear that they the way that they occupy their role in reaction to their sister, right? I think that posture the posture that they held because of each other in reaction to each other was not something I thought about until this film. I also have different characters added some characters in the movie that we don't have in the play. And and the the movie to me was just an invitation to think about the same story but express it differently with these different tools at my disposal, so.

[00:02:37]The same a little crazy. Not as crazy as setting your wife on fire in front of your kids then abandoning them.

[00:02:45]We ain't killers. How we going to live with ourselves if we do this? This destiny type >> [music] >> You ready?

[00:03:00]Yeah.

[00:03:01]>> [music] >> The the visual language, like the visual style and tone of the film I thought was also very unique. Was there any other inspirations that you drew from as you approached that? Yeah, I mean there were there were actually a lot, you know, trying to find figure out who I am as a filmmaker, that's a huge thing to be doing on a movie of this size with this many people who are invested. So a lot of some of it was gut, it was just like, you know, I'm I'm looking at so many things, like Amelie, Moonlight, just everything that I liked I would break down for myself, what are they doing and what's the impact of what they're doing? What's the color choice?

[00:03:38]What's the palette? How are the, you know, how is the blocking? Are the bodies arranged? Is it kind of flat or or does it have depth and what does that do? And then I would just play with those elements for myself. I start the story off kind of flat cuz it to me is an effed up fairy tale. And then we bring them in when we want to, right?

[00:03:55]It's It's very intentional. It starts off kind of dark and it gets lighter as their world gets bigger and and more expansive. So, yeah, too many a number of spaces. Obviously, Kill Bill, I think, I went back and reread rewatched it when I was writing the play as part of the DNA of the story. Okay. I'm curious, you know, I asked if you discovered anything new about the story or the characters as you step behind the camera. Did you discover anything new about yourself as you step behind the camera? Yeah, I mean, I think I I think I came to understand how much I love uh curating. Just cure I mean, directing is curation. And I really love to curate the visuals, how the language is performed. That was tremendous. And and I learned that I have a lot to learn about filmmaking. There's so much I mean, as you will know, I just had to humble myself and I will I think do that for the rest of my life. I think you did a phenomenal job, truly. Um and if there is just one key message that you want audiences to take away from the film, um is it? I'm usually I'm not a message writer, but I will say that I hope people think about um uh giving black women space for their anger. I think I hope black women and girls will give themselves that space and um the inherent value uh that we hold.

[00:05:06]It was a pleasure talking to you again.

[00:05:07]I absolutely adored the film and I can't wait to see everything else you have coming out. So.

[00:05:11]>> Amazing. Thank you so much.

[00:05:13]The lady you took up with after [music] he burned Tess, find her and you'll find him.

[00:05:19]Lady by the name of Divine.

[00:05:30]You're his girl. Oh, hell no.

[00:05:34]You in trouble? Chill, Holmes got your back.

[00:05:39]Just [music] tell us where he at.

[00:05:41]For the fear that it would wag, he took my tongue. [music] We ain't going to kill him. We clapping.

[00:05:48]Tell us where to find him.

[00:05:51]You're alive. We drumming.

[00:05:53]You are big. [music] You are just going to kill him.

[00:05:57]Imagine what our lives would look like.

[00:05:59]If he hadn't said it.

[00:06:01]Fire bunches of flowers.

[00:06:03]>> [screaming] >> He was born for burning.

[00:06:10]Ain't [music] nobody innocent.

[00:06:14]I don't want nothing but >> [music] >> Why don't you sit with me? Seems like we got a lot to talk about.

[00:06:27]>> [screaming]