This article contains some spoilers for the Netflix film Voicemails for Isabelle.You’re proof that sometimes life rigs things in our favor. In a movie that encapsulates the sometimes silly messiness of grief and the warmth of loving through healing, Netflix’s Voicemails for Isabella is a refreshing, poignant reminder to keep living. Zoey Deutch stars as Jill, currently a prep cook in San Francisco who aspires to be a baker. As she navigates her life’s challenges, she shares them through a series of phone calls and voicemails with her sister, Isabelle (Ciara Bravo), whose cystic fibrosis has prevented her from leaving their home in Austin, Texas. While Jill is her sister’s only looking glass into the outside world, Isabella is the only voice of reason in hers. cnx.cmd.push(function() {cnx({playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530",}).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796");});When Isabelle abruptly dies, a devastated Jill continues to leave voicemails and life updates to her sister on her old phone number, unaware that the number has been reassigned. Here enters the movie’s male lead, Wes, played by Nick Robinson, a real estate agent in Austin whose new work phone is the new recipient of Jill’s audio diaries. While the voicemails are all silly, wacky, and provide TMI comedic relief, hopeless romantics can watch as these two unlikely and chaotically lovable characters find a love that is remarkably grounded, capturing the realities of love with an authenticity that feels both refreshing and deeply moving. Deutch and Robinson provide powerful performances that show that the process of grief and healing can be beautiful. Directed and written by Leah McKendrick, the romantic comedy-drama is based on her own experiences with leaving her sister voicemails after moving to Los Angeles to pursue her writing dreams. McKendrick’s sister, Olivia, lived in New York, which meant the time difference made it hard to catch up with each other when they weren’t busy. So, McKendrick started leaving her sister long voicemails just talking about everything in her life — noting that the messages helped her during some of the darkest times in her life. Thankfully, McKendrick’s sister is still very much alive, but using the voicemails as a medium for remembrance is a masterful storytelling tool. The start of the film shows Jill and Isabelle’s relationship, how close they were, and establishes Isabelle as her own character. We are introduced to her humor, her sadness, and her love for Jill. She isn’t just a plot device for the narrative — we learn about her gradually, even her desire to love life in gentle self-deprecating humor. Even with a brief introduction, Isabelle is built into a fully formed character whose death is felt in more than just the impact on the characters, but the loss of her as a person. Despite her prognosis and being stuck in a room, she felt the liveliest out of all the characters introduced. Viewers feel the absence of that liveliness to the point where one looks forward to hearing her voicemails play when Jill needs to hear her sister’s voice. The voicemails set up who both Jill and Isabelle are without having to manufacture scenes of character development. The way they talk to each other through technology reveals a bond and a familial intimacy that encapsulates their relationship for all to see. It makes it even more profoundly melancholic when Isabelle can no longer leave new messages of her own. Despite this, Jill’s continuing to talk to her sister as if she never left, even though she acknowledges her death, is beautiful to see. There is a rawness and complete vulnerability that, at times, feels like you are watching a vlog rather than a film. Grief isn’t linear, and that phrase encapsulates the main theme of the film. Grieving, as a process, is never truly over — the difference is learning to find warmth in remembering what you lost. Wes, despite losing his mother at a young age, still deals with the grief in small ways. Jill’s grief is a constant battle between moving forward and feeling lost. Despite this newfound missing piece, the romance between Jill and Wes never feels like a bridge to avoid grieving or to replace Isabelle. Wes’ intrigue and love for Jill comes from hearing who she was at her worst and her finding her way back. Jill loves Wes because of his willingness to be himself and have fun, even if at times he is shy or pessimistic. Their connection is defined by their ability to be empathetic, vulnerable, patient, and understanding with each other. Both put themselves aside to understand the other – showing that love can coincide with grief. Wes’ grief for the loss of his mother isn’t a main focus point of his character. It also isn’t mentioned often; he even downplays it at times due to his lack of memories of her. Yet, in moments like their first date, when Jill makes the dish that his mother used to make him, we see his grief manifest. In one subtle moment, he is seen by Jill and remembers one of the most important people he’s lost. It is a deeply intimate scene that marks a turn in their relationship. The chemistry between Deutch and Robinson is built upon these little moments of understanding between the characters. Acknowledging the way those they have lost impacted them, and motivating each other to continue. Wes was the one to motivate Jill to lean into her specialty of desert tacos, Isabelle’s favorite food that Jill made, to start her own business and finally be the baker of her dreams. That is why this story resonates the way it does. The voicemails represent a security blanket for the loss and nostalgia of grief until the healing process progresses enough that they’re not needed. Turning grief into something tender, hopeful and profoundly human, Voicemails for Isabelle is more than a romance — it suggests that the people we lose continue to shape us through memories, lessons, and love. It is a heartfelt letter to healing — learning to carry grief instead of overcoming it. Voicemails for Isabelle is now streaming on Netflix.The post Voicemails for Isabelle is a Love Letter to Healing from Grief appeared first on Den of Geek.