On a String

In her feature film debut, Isabel Hagen humorously portrays the life of her Gen Z alter ego 'Isabel'. She has just graduated as a violinist from the renowned Juilliard School. With gigs at weddings and parties, she tries to make ends meet, but it's not easy in a city where competition is ruthless. To save costs, Isabel still lives at home, amidst her slightly neurotic family. Isabel's life takes a new turn when her ex Dave, a cellist with the New York Philharmonic, lets her know that he can arrange an audition for her. Isabel doesn't hesitate: what could possibly go wrong?

Isabel Hagen's feature film debut (1998) – herself a former Juilliard student and stand-up comedian, with a striking resemblance to Greta Gerwig – has been welcomed at various festivals (Tribeca, Cleveland, Tallinn) as a successful portrait of how a New York twenty-something struggles with ambition, love, family, and various other discomforts. Hagen's restrained acting and directing style sharpens the witty humorous dialogues and absurd entanglements, which is why the film has been received as a 'classic American indie'.

About Previously Unreleased
All summer long, in collaboration with the Eye Filmmuseum, we will showcase a new film each week that was featured at prominent festivals in the Netherlands and abroad, but has not yet reached Dutch cinemas. Eye believes this is unjust, as it brings a special selection of films from international festivals to the Netherlands this year.