Kara Young, Mallori Johnson, Vivica A. Fox, Sterling K. Brown, Janelle Monáe, Mykelti Williamson, Erika Alexander, Xavier Mills, Justen Ross, Josiah Cross, Nuri Barnes, Navali Barnes, Noah J. Craig, Lindsey G. Smith, Rhonda Johnson Dents, Mark Druhet, Nolam Plaas, Lena Clark, Xavier E.F. Nealy, Alimah S. Muhammad
Where to watch
MGM Plus
Curator Review
Verdict
A stylish, tightly wound revenge thriller with a strong sense of voice, mixing Southern gothic atmosphere, dark humor, and mythic intensity. The appeal is less about realism than about the force of its emotions, especially its focus on Black women’s rage, family trauma, and the way violence gets sanctified by religion and patriarchy.
Best for
Viewers who like revenge stories with a bold, heightened style
Fans of Southern gothic drama and mythic storytelling
Audiences interested in Black women-centered stories about rage and survival
People who enjoy lean, fast-moving films with a sharp tonal mix of menace and humor
Skip if
You want a grounded, naturalistic drama
You dislike stylized violence or revenge narratives
You prefer films that resolve neatly or explain everything
You are looking for a purely serious tone without dark comedy or genre flourishes
Overview
Is God Is feels like a revenge tale told with a poet’s sense of rhythm and a punk band’s volume. It takes a familiar premise and turns it into something stranger, sharper, and more emotionally specific, especially in the way it frames sisterhood, inherited trauma, and the pressure placed on Black women to absorb pain quietly.
Worth noting
The film’s biggest strength is its confidence. It moves leanly, but it never feels thin; the characters and their grievances are vivid enough to carry the heightened, almost mythic structure. The result is a movie that can be funny, vicious, and spiritually charged all at once.
Bottom line
What lingers most is the refusal to soften its women or turn their anger into a moral lesson. Instead, it treats rage as legible, complicated, and sometimes necessary. That makes it less a conventional thriller than a statement of intent, and a very promising debut feature.
Top Letterboxd reviews
motherblanca (4★) · 2076 likes
Wow.
Kara Young is a STAR.
Casting Sterling K. Brown, who often plays characters with deep moral authority, as the villain is such an inspired choice.
Black women’s rage being played straight and not for laughs or shame is so refreshing to see. I’m all for more films that centers our justified rage and shows us acting out instead of internalizing it so we can be considered “good women.”
Here for Black women being the complicated antiheroes for once!!
Maritza (5★) · 2012 likes
The devil wears sperrys
demi adejuyigbe · 1806 likes
fuuuuuuuuck yeaaaaaaaah. man i loved this!!! glad i went in blind because the little hints of peripheral marketing i saw do not adequately highlight how charming and funny this movie is. like obviously Greek myth and Kill Bill are two overt points of reference, but there are several points where i felt like i was watching a black Series of Unfortunate Events. absolutely sinister use of Death Grips’ “Guillotine.” deeply stylish and confident first feature, stoked to see what Aleshea… more fuuuuuuuuck yeaaaaaaaah. man i loved this!!! glad i went in blind because the little hints of peripheral marketing i saw do not adequately highlight how charming and funny this movie is. like obviously Greek myth and Kill Bill are two overt points of reference, but there are several points where i felt like i was watching a black Series of Unfortunate Events. absolutely sinister use of Death Grips’ “Guillotine.” deeply stylish and confident first feature, stoked to see what Aleshea… more
2020 · Thriller, Crime, Drama · 1h 54m · R · Curator 6.2/10 (1M ratings) · Where to watch: Peacock Premium, USA Network, Peacock Premium Plus
A revenge thriller that uses style and tonal control to explore anger, punishment, and social hypocrisy.
Topics
revenge thriller, Southern gothic, Black cinema, female antiheroes, family trauma, religious hypocrisy, dark humor, stylized violence, mythic drama, independent film