Comedian Isabel Hagen Revisits Her Roots Playing the Viola in ‘On a String’ First Look | rssama.com

Comedian Isabel Hagen is blurring truth and fabrication pinch her music-centric directorial debut “On a String.” The indie, which debuts astatine Tribeca, fits perfectly wrong nan 2025 programme for nan acclaimed festival, which has additional highlights specified arsenic “Billy Joel: And So It Goes,” Miley Cyrus’ “Something Beautiful,” and euphony therapist play “Charliebird.”

Hagen writes, directs, and stars successful “On a String” which centers connected a Juilliard-trained violist looking for her large break. In existent life, Hagen someway besides finds clip betwixt appearing connected “The Tonight Show pinch Jimmy Fallon” and performing astatine nan Just for Laughs show to circuit pinch buzzy bands, astir precocious Vampire Weekend.

The charismatic synopsis for “On a String” reads: “Isabel (Hagen) is simply a young, Juilliard-trained violist still surviving astatine location pinch her parents successful nan bosom of New York City. She’s trying to make a surviving playing gigs pinch her friends but erstwhile her toxic ex- fellow reappears, who besides happens to beryllium nan Philharmonic’s ‘newest, hottest cellist,’ he informs her of a viola opening successful nan prestigious orchestra. Nothing tin spell wrong, right?” Dylan Baker, Ling Ling Huang, Frederick Weller, Jamie Lee, and Eric Bogosian co-star.

“As a Juilliard graduate, I freelanced arsenic a violist successful New York City for complete a decade,” Hagen told IndieWire. “I played weddings, backstage parties, backup strings for singer-songwriters, among different engagements. I’ve been a mini portion of different peoples’ large life moments, uncovering paradoxical intimacy successful being an observer. It’s this domiciled of nan perceiver that initially inspired maine to constitute ‘On a String,’ which is not astir personification driven by a desire for success, but alternatively by a request for existent relationship to nan world astir her, pinch nary thought really to find it.”

In an further director’s statement, Hagen cited her emotion for nan viola “faded” during her clip astatine Juilliard. “Still, euphony was each I knew, and I freelanced arsenic a violist successful New York City for complete a decade (I did yet go a stand-up comedian, but that’s different movie),” she said. “While this film tells a communicative of a classical musician navigating a circumstantial world, pinch which galore whitethorn beryllium unfamiliar, I was willing successful utilizing that specificity to seizure an acquisition I find to beryllium cosmopolitan — that of confronting nan reality of pursuing your dreams and accepting life’s inevitable limitations. Authenticity was a privilege for maine successful telling this story. The movie features live-captured philharmonic performances, and nan musician characters are almost wholly played by trained musicians, including my real-life brother, pianist Oliver Hagen, portraying my character’s relative successful nan film.”

“On a String” is produced by Hagen, Olivia Vessel, Torrance Shepherd, Alex Vara, and Annie McGrath.

“On a String” premieres astatine nan Tribeca Festival arsenic a income title pinch Andrew Herwitz astatine nan Film Sales Company handling rights. Check retired nan first look clip below.