I Need More People Talking About Is God Is | Movie Review

Added: 2026-05-19

[00:00:00]Going on to my beautiful people out there. Elliot  here with Movie Files giving you a brand new review. I just got done seeing Is God Is and this  will be a spoiler-free review for a film that I was very excited for. I saw the trailer about, you  know, a couple months ago, heard about it about a year ago and I saw the snaps. I says, "I want to  see that movie and I hope it's good." And man, you see the smile on my face right now. We're  going to talk about it. But before we do so, I appreciate you all clicking on the video.  consider liking it, sharing it, subscribing to the channel as we run, sprint, jump, hop to our  way to 100,000 subscribers, which is crazy, man.

[00:00:32]But anyway, is God is is based on a off Broadway  play. I believe it was in 2018, which I wasn't familiar with it, but after seeing this, I would  love to see it one day hopefully. But either way, it's based on a off Broadway play and Aisha Harris  wrote and put that together and she did the movie, which is very rare. And let me tell y'all  right now, it is a wonderful time to be a film lover because we are in a new era of upand  cominging, bold, you know, unapologetic, unique, fresh directors and Aisha Harris just impressed  the hell out of me, man. Like there is a flavor to this film. There is a style. There's a personality  that spoke to me. Not only because it is very unapologetically black, but it's just a as a  film lover, we live in a time now and this is no, you know, I love me some IPs, some sequels and  prequels, but we get so much of that. We get inundated with that that when you come across  something so different, so unique, so bold.

[00:01:29]It just makes me happy to be able to experience  something like I just experienced tonight. Now, by no means is a film perfect. We'll get into that  a little bit later, but this just hit the right tone, man. Aisha Harris, god damn it, you just you  put your whole damn foot in this film, yo. Like, I am so happy to see someone bring their vision  to the big screen. And I'm I'm so curious to see how the play went because this film takes it's a  it's a road trip film. It's a spaghetti western.

[00:01:56]It's a drama. It's a thriller. It's a comedy. She  puts all these ingredients in a bowl and delivers something that I want I want seconds. I want  to go back for thirds, put it in the microwave, heat it up. I'm eating this all week because I  enjoyed the hell out of what she brought from her direction, her writing. There's a I talked about  the personality. There is like little things of like how the sisters talk to each other without  speaking, but there's subtitles on the screen.

[00:02:20]There is a pace to this film. There is a there's  this unpredictability about this film that I just quite enjoyed. I can go on and on and on about  her, but she is someone that's now on my radar.

[00:02:30]I need to see what she needs to do next. I need  Hollywood to put her on the map. I need more of this from Aisha Harris. Hell of a job. Now, this  movie has something that really made me happy. And that is performances that were electric. We have  Cara Young and Mallerie Johnson playing the twin sisters. And and I'm just going on. I'm buzzing  right now. I didn't even tell. Y'all might not even know what this movie is about. Quick little  synopsis. Is God Is is about two young girls who were involved in a domestic violence situation  when they were little kids. And that domestic situation involved their dad lighting their mom  on fire while they were in the bathroom. And they unfortunately got caught on fire as well.  So one of they grow up, one of the sisters is more severely burnt than the other ones. Both  of them were burnt, but one was more burnt than the other. And they just grew up with number one,  their parents were in their life and and I won't get into the reasons why. Spoiler-free review, but  one of them they grew up in foster care and foster homes being picked on, being made fun of. And you  could just imagine what that would be like growing up in that type of situation. And these sisters  are so close. They literally spend every second together to a degree. I won't get into, you know,  what happens where when they're not together. But anyway, the idea of these sisters and who they are  together, but who they are individually and they are. And getting back to synopsis, years later  when they're 21, 22, they get a letter from their mom and she invites them to see them because she's  dying, played by Vivica Fox, by the way. And this is a very Quinn Tarotino kill Bill vibe. And I  I don't think it's a coincidence they brought Vivica Fox to play a mother seeking revenge. But  anyway, they see their mom because she's dying and her dying wish is for her girls to find their  daddy and kill that so that's the journey. That's what we're on. My goodness. Getting back to the  performances, Kari Young plays the the sister that's a little bit more in your face and she is  protecting her sister and herself. She's got a personality that could be, you know, aggressive,  but there's a reason behind that because of how they were raised and she has to always be on  defense because of, you know, people picking fun of her. I thought that Cara Cara Young was  exceptional, man. really enjoyed her performance and you can understand while you might not  think that she's making the right choices, you understand the choices she's made because  there's a hate there, there's a pain there, there's a frustration there, there's a I wish I  can do this or I wish I could do that. I wish we could have not been burnt. What would our life  would have looked like? So, I thought that she was great. But then the performance that really  stood out to me and everyone was great in this film and we'll talk about the performances here as  far as the supporting cast, but Mallerie Johnson plays this sister that's more timid. She's the one  that's burnt more severely in her face and she the the quietness is there and that's a tough role  to play to play reserved and be kind of you know not spoken not a lot of spoken word but there's  a strength to her quietness there's a curiosity about her quietness that I thought was fascinating  but there's something inside of her that as the film goes along that you start to discover and I  I thought that both of them was great individually they were great chemistry between the sisters  was exceptional so direction writing performances and Then you you got those ingredients, but  then you're like, you know what? Let me add some more salt. Let me add some more seasoning.  Then you get Erica Alexander, who as a '90s kid, you know, Maxine, and seeing her in this film was  so great and her her little section in the film and the religious angle and how that ties into the  narrative of this film of just like how people can allow themselves to connect themselves to people  and and and yearning for people and yearning for the idea of people. Like I thought her section of  the film was exceptional. as well as you have a Viva A. Fox who I mentioned who was exceptional as  the mom and her the way she wants her daughters to get the revenge and how she puts them on this path  of revenge and what that speaks to her as a mom but you can understand the vengeance but I thought  she was great and then you go ahead and add in one of my favorite actors in the entire universe  and that's Sterling K. Brown St. Louis own if you guys don't know I live in St. Louis but St. to  his own Sterling K. Brown. I have seen a lot of his performances. I ain't never seen Sterling K.  Brown like that. That's that's our Xavier Collins, y'all. For my Paradise fans out there, the  performance that this man gives, he's the dad that lights his wife and kids on fire, so he's an sob.  But god damn it, every time that man was on stage, I said, "Give me more. Give me more." cuz he was  just so damn evil and so damn manipulative and just he pulls you in because of the you just like  you can't be that damn bad, right? Are you are you that bad? We need more of this Sterling. I I I  love the hero. I love my my my Xavier Collins.

[00:07:08]I love all his performances. You know, the  closest thing I could think of and it's not even that close of a comparison, but if you guys have  seen Waves, one of my favorite films of all time, he plays a dad that's very strict. Uh and that's  like the closest I've seen Sterling K. Brown as far as villainous role, but it nothing like that.  I mean, nothing like what I just saw tonight. Oh, he was evil. But he was so damn good playing  evil. We need more of this Sterling. I I think he's playing the villain in Voltron. Uh, which I'm  not excited for, but I he's in it, so I got to see it. Why don't you sit with me? Seems like we got  a lot to talk about. So, K Brown was great. So, man, I can go on and on and on about the tone,  the personality, the themes, the allegorories.

[00:07:50]You know, this has like a a black exploitation  like synergy to it. Uh but in a modern lens.

[00:07:56]Speaking of lens, it's beautifully shot. I love  the score. Again, this film just is bold, man.

[00:08:01]It's bold. It's so bold and I love that. It's so  creative. If I were to be and not even nitpicking, but there were this film does kind of drag in  certain elements of the film as far as when we're on the journey. Not every stop that we go  on is as exciting as the other. It's a little little nitpick there. But I will say the third  act is something that I'm still kind of pondering, still kind of sitting on it. It sticks to landing  because it it speaks to just like a theme that's going throughout the film about when you get  revenge, if you can get revenge, how do you feel about it afterwards? But there's just some  elements that I wish was a fleshed out a little bit further. And there's a decision towards the  end from a particular character and I just wish we could have sat with that decision a little bit  further cuz it just kind of it wraps up in like a bow. I'm like ah this and not I'm not talking  about this is the the way it wraps up it felt too too too perfectly tighten tight and putting  together. There's a lot more to explore there. So I will say I'm not entirely sold on how the film  wraps up. Even before that, first act, second act, really strong, really energetic, really fun. And  the third act is dark as hell. I mean, the whole film when you the the premise of the movie is  dark. But when we get to the third act, it it hits a level where you just like you just sitting  on the edge of your seat biting your nails because you get the most this is the most where Sterling  K. Brown characters involved. But I'm still pondering about that third act from a a decision  a character makes. But, you know, maybe one day we'll talk about spoilers. But nonetheless, y'all,  wrapping this thing up. This was an exceptional film and I just am so happy, like I said, to  be in a time to experience a director that I think has a voice that I'm excited to hear more of  what she has to say in this medium. I'm going to give is God is for the direction, the story, the  unpredictability, the unapologetic nature of its approach of the storytelling and the performances  and just the boldness and creativity of it. I'm at a 4.5 out of five. This is one of my favorite  films of the year. This film is available in theaters on Friday. Y'all can see from my energy  and my enthusiasm that I recommend you all see it if you have the means to do so. If not, the film  will be available because it is an Amazon MGM uh movie. It will be available on Amazon Prime.  But I think this is one of those films that when you see it with a I saw this with an audience,  a large audience, and this was just that experience enhance the the viewing experience. But  nonetheless, 4.5 out of five. Is God Is is as of right now, at the time of recording, my favorite  film of the year. I said it. And obviously, we got six more months of the year or seven more  months, whatever months we got left. But this is this is dope, man. I This will be on my top 10  list for sure. I will be shocked if there's nine other movies that bump this out of my top 10. I'm  not saying this, you know, it's going to be number one by the year. You know, we got Dune, we got  Odyssey, but nonetheless, very happy that I was able to experience this. And I hope you all get  to experience it. And when you do, we got to talk about in the comments below. What worked? What  didn't work? Favorite character, least favorite character. Do you want to see more of Sterling K  Brown as a villain? Because I do. I just want to see more of Ster K. Brown in general. But I also  want to see more of Carol Young, Mallerie Johnson, um Aisha Harris, make another movie together,  y'all. Y'all did a great job. So, I'm going to wrap this thing up. Thank y'all for watching.  Again, if you all can like, share, leave your thoughts in the comments. Consider subscribing  because we are, like I said, we're running, we're sprinting, we're walking, we're jogging,  we hopping our way to 100,000 subscribers, and I would appreciate if you guys can help  me accomplish that incredible goal. But thank y'all. Thank you. Stay safe. I'll see you all  on the next review. I This is a hell of a movie.