Is Netflix's ‘Voicemails for Isabelle' based on true story?

Netflix’s rom-com “Voicemails for Isabelle” became an audience favourite, leaving viewers wondering if the emotional story is rooted in reality. 

The film, starring Zoey Deutch, follows the story of Jill, an ambitious chef who processes the grief of losing her sister.

Due to sharing a deep bond with her, she started leaving voicemails at Isabelle’s number, sharing tidbits of her life in San Francisco. However, when the number is unwittingly reassigned, a mysterious Austin estate agent begins receiving her candid messages, sparking an unexpected connection.

The film looks close to reality but has no connection with a true story. It is not even based on a book. It is a truly original screenplay written and directed by Leah McKendrick, who also appears in a small role as Breeda.

Nevertheless, the film director took cues from life events. It all began at a comedy club where McKendrick listened to a comic making a joke regarding long messages from her father. Subsequently, another comedian joked, saying that his father had not called for the last three years since he had died. McKendrick remembers that she was the only person laughing.

While talking to People, she said: “Then I thought, if my dad dies, I won’t be waiting for him to call me back because my dad doesn’t call me back, and he’s alive. And then I thought if my sister dies, I would just keep calling her.”

The emotional bond shared between two sisters is inspired by McKendrick’s close relationship with her sister. She also quoted that when her younger sibling moved to New York for university, she would leave her unfiltered voicemails about disastrous dates and professional struggles.