"Messages for Isabelle": discover the real story that inspired the film
Released by Netflix on June 19, 2026, "Messages for Isabelle" won over the public by combining romance, humor and drama in a story about loss and new beginnings. Although the plot seems like a traditional romantic comedy, the origin of the film is based on a real experience lived by screenwriter and director Leah McKendrick, who revealed how a stand-up joke gave rise to the idea for the film.
According to McKendrick, the inspiration came more than seven years ago, during a comedy show. At the presentation, a comedian commented that her father hadn't called her in three years. Faced with the awkward silence from the audience, she added that he was dead. While the majority of the audience remained unresponsive, the director says she was the only person who laughed, and from that moment on she began to reflect on how we deal with the absence of those we love.
Initially, she imagined a character waiting for a call from someone who would never answer. Afterwards, the idea took on a more intimate tone. McKendrick realized he wouldn't miss his father's calls, as he rarely returned his calls even in his lifetime. However, he concluded that he would do exactly the opposite if he lost his sister: he would continue calling her as a way of maintaining the bond.
The story became even more personal when her younger sister moved to New York to study. With the distance between the two, the director started leaving long voice messages telling everything that happened in her routine, from frustrated romantic encounters to the challenges of building a career in Hollywood.
When McKendrick listened to these audios some time later, he realized that they revealed a side of himself that few people knew. They were spontaneous, sincere and unfiltered conversations, very different from the carefully constructed image on social media. It was precisely this vulnerability that served as the emotional basis for the script.
The director even imagined what it would be like if someone else heard those very personal messages. In his words, it would be a nightmare if a stranger had access to his "most spontaneous self". At the same time, he realized that if someone fell in love with just this true version, there would be something deeply genuine about that connection. This reflection ended up becoming the central point of the story.
In the film, Jill, played by Zoey Deutch, is a young baker trying to deal with the death of her younger sister, Isabelle, played by Ciara Bravo. Unable to break the bond, she continues leaving voice messages on her sister's old phone number, sharing feelings, memories and everyday events.
What Jill doesn't know is that the number has already been transferred to Wes, Nick Robinson's character. A real estate agent in Texas, he begins to listen to all the messages left by Jill and, little by little, comes to know her only through her voice. From this unexpected connection, a delicate romance is born, built between grief, hope and the rediscovery of love.
In addition to the protagonist couple, the cast brings together Ciara Bravo in the role of Isabelle, Nick Offerman as an eccentric chef responsible for many of the humorous moments, as well as Lukas Gage, Harry Shum Jr., Brandon Flynn, DeWanda Wise and Josh Lucas.
"Messages for Isabelle" also marks another work by Leah McKendrick in the romantic comedy genre. After writing and directing Scrambled, the filmmaker returned to exploring female characters in moments of transformation, this time balancing delicate themes such as grief with a light and sensitive romantic story. The choice of Zoey Deutch for the main role reinforces this proposal, as the actress is known for combining humor and emotion in striking characters of the genre.
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Source: CNN