Isabel Film Review: A Light Refreshing Whine

Isabel’s likeable leading lady and laidback vibe help overcome the fact it has very little to say for itself.

Everything about Isabel feels tailored to the comfort of its audience. Yes, it’s about the pain of failure and eventual growth, but it’s a movie aimed at aspirational wine moms, set in a leafy middle-class milieu and it doesn’t take up too much of your time. It practically pleads for endearment as it opens on home footage of our heroine Isabel (Marina Person) and her husband Ben (Gregory Chastang) trampling grapes to make their own wine. She’s a sommelier by trade, and he’s happy to join in and help her endeavours. Jumping forward 18 months, the pair are living typical lives in São Paulo, working, gardening, trying not to let little inconveniences get in their way. It’s all very cosy and relatable.

One of the key factors in creating Isabel’s cosiness is the 16mm cinematography from DoP Flora Dias. The colours of the city pop, and that extra hint of grain borrows a grounded haziness from films of a distant past. Isabel wanders past vehicles and billboards that radiate colour, and contrast with her less cheery professional situation. The Michelin-Starred restaurant where she works is darker and sleeker than her apartment or her neighbourhood, with a snooty boss (Marat Descartes) to match. He has no appetite for Isabel’s preferred natural and local wines, leaving her and her close colleague Nico (Caio Howowicz) rolling their eyes. Isabel is trapped in this dark space, and is only being incentivised to find a way out.

Though decidedly set in Brazil, Isabel is aiming for a broader appeal, with U.S. and French financing encouraging accessibility. Thus, a recognisable American actor, John Ortiz, appears as a visiting investor who gets chatting to Isabel in the restaurant, and he likes the sound of her idea to open her own wine bar. His enthusiasm and offer of funding sets Isabel off on a journey to find the wines she wants to sell. Klinger and Person’s script is full of small setbacks that drive Isabel on, and make you wish for her to get out of her rut. Her boss’ dismissiveness, and Fred’s absence with family issues of his own, motivate rather than frustrate, and onscreen Person keeps Isabel chipper and determined.

Isabel is as optimistic as its protagonist, but one can’t help but feel that the edges have been sanded off, reducing the film to its lean and entirely un-mean 84 minutes. The easygoing atmosphere could see Isabel be confused with a comedy, but it’s light on big laughs, depending on relatable moments of frustration and bonhomie to gel with its audience. Moreover, that same commitment to a relaxed and pleasant tone denies the narrative much stakes. It’s never guaranteed that Isabel will get her wine bar open, and there are plenty of setbacks for her to navigate, but it’s never nailed down how much Isabel stands to lose (financially, emotionally, etc.), and thus Isabel struggles to find the urgency to merit our entire investment. 

Everything about Isabel is designed for maximum watchability, and that isn’t altogether a bad thing. It’s assembled with care, and will play well before a blanketed sofa and a chilled bottle of Sauvignon Blanc. We just have to hope it doesn’t inspire anyone to set up a wine bar, because doing it in reality has to be a lot more stressful than it looks here.

Isabel will be screened at the BFI London Film Festival on October 10-11, 2026.