Entertainment
Tarantino Meets Greek Tragedy In Prime Video’s Revenge Thriller With a Near-Perfect Rotten Tomatoes Score
In a year full of surprise breakthroughs and unexpected blockbusters, Is God Is still managed to slip through the cracks. The dramatic action/thriller, released at the same time as the year’s triumphant indie cinema success story, Obsession, marked the debut of writer-director Aleshea Harris, who updated the classic Quentin Tarantino-style bloody revenge saga for 2026. Despite being overshadowed by Curry Barker‘s word-of-mouth sensation, Is God Is, now available to stream on Prime Video and MGM+, where it is among the top 10 most-streamed films, is ready to be your next indie darling and cult classic. Harris, who adapted her own stage play for the screen, tells the story of tight-knit bonds between sisters, family trauma, feminism, and Black history. As both a gritty exploitation thrill-ride and a somber study of pressing cultural issues, Is God Is — which also features an impressive cast of both newcomers and established stars — is a true one-of-one.
‘Is God Is’ Updates Quentin Tarantino’s Revenge Thriller Formula
It’s no secret that Quentin Tarantino cribs heavily from other films and filmmakers, but his style has become so iconic and recognizable that various tropes that originated in ’70s exploitation thrillers have now become his own. Today, anything that echoes classic spaghetti Westerns, kung-fu, and samurai movies is viewed as a blatant Tarantino homage. Is God Is, which stars Kara Young and Mallori Johnson as Racine and Anaia, twin sisters who, at the behest of their mother, set out to take vengeance against the abusive father who started the massive fire that injured them both, channels the bloodthirsty revenge plots of Kill Bill, Inglourious Basterds, and Django Unchained. The film, which also stars Janelle Monáe, Erika Alexander, Sterling K. Brown, and Vivica A. Fox (with the latter two playing the twins’ parents), features many of Tarantino’s heightened stylistic flourishes, including split-screens, creative needle drops, garish and fantastical scenes of violence, and spurts of black comedy.
While Tarantino often stumbles when examining race relations, Is God Is not only tapped into the Black experience and created by a bold Black artist; it is also an ideal feminist text in 2026. Playwright-turned-filmmaker Harris confronts the ugliness of long-standing family oppression head-on by infusing this rage with genre sensibilities, making a grimy but surprisingly warm thriller that honors the classic blaxploitation subgenre. This combination of sincere family melodrama and lurid violence speaks to contemporary love-and-hate sensibilities, as Racine and Anaia, one outgoing and one timid, reckon with their troubled past in order to pave the way forward for a prosperous future. Part of Tarantino’s enduring legacy is his ability to strike a fine line between cynicism and unconventional optimism, and Harris uses this easily adaptable cinematic formula to craft a wholly immersive experience.
‘Is God Is’ is a Revelatory Directorial Breakthrough
When a playwright turns to feature filmmaking, the product is often indicative of that drastic transition. Rather than adapting to the new medium, they often play to their strengths by applying the confines of theater to maintain their work. Aleshea Harris, however, capitalizes on the freedoms of the film form, utilizing every flashy trick in the book, from altering color grades to intense close-ups, to enhance the theatricality of her script. Luckily, Harris’ style is substantive, as it channels the twins’ harrowing trauma into a transgressive odyssey that sees them leaving behind a trail of bloodshed in search of their father, referred to as “the man.” Other flourishes, such as elliptical sound designs and glossy canted angles, create a discombobulating experience, and the film never lulls, even at its most meditative.
The anchor behind Is God Is — and its most endearing quality — is the dynamic between the sisters, played with excellent dramatic range by Kara Young and Mallori Johnson. Wholly believable as twins, their chemistry is evident from minute one, as their rapport dates back to the haunted, unconventional childhood that forced them into adulthood far too young. Young and Johnson perform much-needed banter that drives the film’s dark comic edge, and the dichotomy between Racine’s gregarious attitude and Anaia’s emotional distance is integral to their characters’ origins. While they are both severely scarred by the fire, Anaia’s face was disfigured, which understandably makes her more self-conscious. This distinction not only increases the severity of one character’s journey, but it also spotlights beauty standards for women and the agonizing effect they can have.
Is God Is didn’t leave a huge dent at the box office due to a crowded release schedule that didn’t suit its growth. However, 2026 has shown that audiences want something familiar but new, and Aleshea Harris’ electrifying revenge thriller certainly reaches that threshold.
Is God Is
- Release Date
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May 15, 2026
- Runtime
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100 minutes
- Director
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Aleshea Harris
- Writers
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Aleshea Harris
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