The off-Broadway sensation 'Is God Is' has made a fiery transition to the big screen, bringing its unflinching exploration of vengeance, trauma, and Black womanhood to a wider audience. Actors Kara Young, Mallori Johnson, and Vivica A Fox discuss the film's unique approach to the revenge genre.
The Story Behind the Story
Kara Young recalls the fervor surrounding the play's 2018 run at New York's Soho Rep theatre. 'I was lucky to get a ticket,' says the two-time Tony Award-winning actor, who was performing in another show at the time. The buzz was undeniable, leading to a London transfer in 2021. 'It blew my mind. Those characters have stayed in my spirit since 2018.'
Playwright Aleshea Harris adapted her Obie Award-winning work into a feature film, marking her directorial debut. The epic follows twin sisters Racine (Young) and Anaia (Johnson), disfigured as children when their father set their mother on fire. They believed their mother dead until a letter summons them to her deathbed. Her request: 'Make your daddy dead.'
Greek Tragedy Reimagined
Harris explains the play's origin: 'There's a mythic quality to twins.' Racine and Anaia communicate in silent and verbose exchanges, questioning their capacity for violence. Harris started with a simple prompt: what would a Greek tragedy look like with people who look and talk like her? 'That prompt just opened a thousand doors in my mind.'
The film draws inspiration from revenge classics like 'Kill Bill' and 'Set It Off,' but Harris was approached by Tessa Thompson's Viva Maude production company and producer Janicza Bravo, who suggested Harris direct. 'There's so much nuance inside of it and so much humor,' Harris says. 'I can't even imagine the assignment for someone else, of trying to take this wild, wacky story and keep a hold of its tone.'
The Sisters' Journey
The sisters embark on a road trip through the US South to find 'The Monster' — their father. Along the way, they piece together their family's fractured past and confront their own capabilities. Young describes Racine as 'the Rough One,' who has spent her life protecting her more heavily scarred sister. 'When we crack her open, it's really about cracking open the points of no return. It opens a portal into her deepest why.'
Anaia's rage manifests as sadness and loss. Johnson says, 'At the end of the day, she just wanted to be a normal girl. She wanted a dad, a mom, a good relationship with her sister. She wanted to feel like she belonged.'
Powerful Performances
Vivica A Fox plays the sisters' mother, referred to as 'God.' Harris insisted Fox was her only choice. 'She has the larger-than-life-ness but also the grounded-ness. She trusted me and didn't treat me like a baby film-maker.' Fox underwent four hours of prosthetics daily to portray the burned mother. 'It really helped me get into character,' she says.
Sterling K Brown portrays The Monster, subverting his heroic image. Harris wrote the character as 'like Barack Obama — giving suburban dad, sweet, charming, soft.' She adds, 'I think Sterling had a lot of fun being subversive there.' The character embodies real-life abusers who maintain social status through charm.
The Bond Between Sisters
At its core, 'Is God Is' is about the bond between the sisters. Young and Johnson lived together in Louisiana during filming and did exercises to build their connection. 'The core of our connection came from me and Kara being bonded in real life,' Johnson says.
Johnson sums up the film's significance: 'With these characters, you see all of the nuance of why we are angry in the first place, what happens when we go after it, what it does to us and the people around us. These characters are literal embodiments of all of the nuance of what it means to be a Black woman in America and how we have to navigate ourselves in our journey for our own justice.'
'Is God Is' is now in US cinemas, with UK and Australia release dates to be announced.
