How Este Haim and Amanda Yamate Centered Sisterly Love on the ‘Voicemails For Isabelle’ Score (Exclusive)
Este Haim and Amanda Yamate on the ‘Voicemails For Isabelle’ Score
In an exclusive interview, musicians Este Haim and Amanda Yamate reveal how their score for the upcoming Netflix rom-com Voicemails For Isabelle prioritizes sisterly love over traditional romance. The film follows Isabelle, a woman who reconnects with her estranged sister through a series of voicemails left by their late mother.
Haim explains that the story’s core is not a romantic relationship but “family and loving and having such a deep connection to your sister.” To reflect this, the composers built the score around intimate, acoustic textures:
- Strings and piano dominate, symbolizing vulnerability and shared memories.
- Subtle electronic pulses represent the modern voicemail medium.
- Recurring melodic motifs mirror the sisters’ emotional arc, from distance to reunion.
Yamate notes they avoided typical rom-com crescendos, instead using “sparse, breathy arrangements” to let the characters’ bond breathe. Haim adds, “We wanted every note to feel like a hug—not a kiss.” The duo drew from their own sibling experiences, with Haim saying, “My sisters are my whole world. This score is a love letter to that.”
Voicemails For Isabelle releases globally on Netflix next Friday.