Is God Is (2026) Review

A bold, intense debut, Is God Is hits hardest through its performances and attitude rather than its story.

May 20, 2026

What does a first film need to do to actually stay with someone, not just pass through as another “interesting debut” you forget about two days later?

That question hung around me while watching Is God Is, as this film has a confidence that’s slightly annoying in the way only confident debuts can be.

Plot

Two sisters embark on an epic quest for revenge, confronting a charged family history that pushes them to extraordinary lengths.

Good Points

Strong directorial voice with real confidence and identity
Never feels safe or restrained
Consistent tone even when things get intense
Natural chemistry between the leads
Supporting cast also has real presence
Visual choices add texture to scenes
Commits fully to its emotional ideas
Never boring, even when it overextends

Bad Points

Occasional imbalance between ambition and execution
A few scenes try harder to land impact than they actually achieve
Not always easy to connect with emotionally

My Thoughts on Is God Is

The biggest personality trait of this film is that it doesn’t ease you in

That really sums up the experience of watching Is God Is, as it just starts, with no real soft entry point, and no attempt to slowly guide you in, it just ommits immediately and stays there, whether you’ve adjusted or not.

Every decision here feels ever so intentional as well - the framing, pacing, and rhythm of scenes all feel like they’ve been chosen rather than defaulted into, and while that doesn’t mean everything lands perfectly, it does mean the film always feels like it knows what it’s doing.

At times, the intensity did become slightly draining, and I am not even sure that’s a negative, as it feels draining in a way that makes you aware of how long you’ve been sitting in that same emotional register.

Still, there’s no attempt to smooth anything out, no sanding down the edges, and no obvious push toward accessibility, it just exists as it is and expects you to either engage with it or fall off.

The performances are excellent

The cast, and in particular the sisters Racine (Kara Young) and Anaia (Mallori Johnson), is one of the main reasons the film holds together, as the two leads have a chemistry that doesn’t feel constructed, and where nothing about their dynamic feels overly polished.

And that is what actually helps the emotional side of the film feel more believable, because even when the dialogue does get a bit forceful, they keep it grounded enough to avoid anything ever tipping into melodrama territory, where we get one performance that leans sharper and more outward-facing, while the other is quieter and more internal, but not passive, so that contrast gives the film its emotional balance without turning them into obvious opposites.

There’s also a slow-build antagonist presence in the background that’s handled with restraint early on, and that restraint pays off later, because when it finally becomes more direct, it actually carries some weight instead of just feeling like another escalation.

The film has a voice

What also works really well is just how consistent the film feels too, so even when it pushes too far or repeats itself, it still feels like it belongs to the same creative intention, and there’s no sense of it drifting or losing direction.

Visually, there are also moments where the direction genuinely elevates simple scenes - framing choices and pacing decisions give certain moments more impact than they would have on paper - where nothing ever feels careless, even when it becomes heavy or overwhelming.

If I had to say a main issue the film has, I would say it is that the film occasionally overstays its emotional beats, with stretches where the same idea is held for longer than necessary, as if the film is trying to extract extra intensity from something that has already landed, although I wouldn’t say it is a major issue either.

There are also moments where ambition slightly outpaces execution, but again, not in a catastrophic way, but enough that you can feel the gap between what the film is aiming for and what it actually lands.

What’s interesting though is that even the weaker parts don’t feel lazy, they feel like overconfidence rather than lack of control, which is a very different problem, and in a strange way, a more interesting one, because the film would probably be worse if it played it safe, so when it does occasionally push too far, it’s always with intention.

And when you can turn the negatives into somewhat of a positive too, you know you have something good going.

Final Verdict

Is God Is has a clear, stubborn identity running through everything, where it doesn’t aim for universal approval, and it doesn’t dilute itself to be easier to digest, and ends up being a strong, confident debut that never feels boring, never feels aimless, and definitely doesn’t disappear the moment it’s over.