Aleshea Harris's 'Is God Is' Sparks Blasphemy Debate

Aleshea Harris's film 'Is God Is,' a revenge parable about the breaking of the Black family, has ignited controversy over its depiction of God as female and murderous. The film follows twin sisters Racine (Kara Young) and Anaia (Mallori Johnson), who bear burn scars from a fire set by their father (Sterling K. Brown). After receiving a letter from their dying mother Ruby (Vivica A. Fox), they embark on a quest to kill their father. Critics have compared the film to 'The Color Purple' and Greek tragedy, but Harris, who first staged the play at Soho Rep eight years ago, infuses it with heretical energy. The film features a cult leader (Erika Alexander) and a repressed housewife (Janelle Monáe). The ending sees the father consumed by fire, taking Racine with him, while Anaia clutches her child in a sort of Eden. Harris's script bends language, though the visual sphere doesn't match the chilling tableau of Ruby and her nurses. The controversy echoes the reception to 'The Color Purple' two generations ago, criticized as a dangerous representation of Black men.