Grief can lead to discovery; surprises can even lead to love. Voicemails to Isabelle, contributor Zoey Deutch and Nick Robinsonfollows a woman named Jill who, in order to mourn the loss of her deceased sister, leaves voicemails on her phone number, which is reassigned to a man named Wes. Unbeknownst to Jill, Wes listens to her voicemails and falls for her.
Since the story, written by director and actor Leah McKendrickis unique, fans wonder if the film is based on real-life events.
Find out about Voicemails for Isabelle is based on a true story here.
That’s how you see Voicemails for Isabelle
The film can be streamed on Netflix. It premiered on the streamer on June 19, 2026.
Who’s in Voicemails for Isabelle Cast?
The cast features Deutch as Jill, Robinson as Wes, Harry Shum Jr. as Andy, Lukas Gage as Arthur, Ciara Bravo like Isabelle and Nick Offerman as chef Bastien.
McKendrick also appears as Breeda in the film.
Is Voicemails for Isabelle Based on a true story?
Yes. Voicemails for Isabelle is based on true events, McKendrick said during a June 2026 interview with People. She recalled watching her roommate’s comedy sketch about her father leaving her 20-minute voicemails about minor day-to-day tasks.
“Then the next comedian comes on stage and she says, “It’s so nice that your dad is calling you. My dad hasn’t called me in three years.” And everyone’s like, ‘Ooh.’ And then she says, ‘He’s dead,'” McKendrick said, adding that she “was the only one laughing.”
“And then it really got the wheels turning and I thought to myself, this is so funny, this idea of a girl who keeps waiting for her father to call her back,” explained the multi-talented filmmaker. “And then I thought, ‘If my dad dies, I’m not going to wait for him to call back because my dad doesn’t call back and he’s alive.’ And then I thought that if my sister died, I would wait for her to call back. And then I thought, no, if my sister died, I would just keep calling her.”
McKendrick’s sister then moved to New York to study, so the writer-director began leaving her “long rambling voicemails” about various topics, like a bad date or “how hard it was to make it in Hollywood and how this town didn’t want me.”
“I just wanted to let it all hang out,” she said. “And what a horror story it would be if someone ever heard my most unfiltered self. But you would know that if someone fell in love with that unfiltered self, it would be real.”
