On a String

In her feature film debut, Isabel Hagen humorously paints the life of her Gen Z alter ego 'Isabel'. She has just completed her training as a violinist at 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. The feature film debut of Isabel Hagen (1998) – herself a former Juilliard student and stand-up comedian, who bears a striking resemblance to Greta Gerwig – was received at various festivals (Tribeca, Cleveland, Tallinn) as a successful portrait of how a New York twenty-something struggles with ambition, love, family, and numerous other discomforts. Hagen's restrained acting and directing style sharpens the witty humorous dialogues and absurd twists, which is why the film was received as a ‘classic American indie’.