Everyone is obsessed with this new rom-com. They’re all ignoring how creepy it is

Opinion: Like every other woman in her 20s, I am a sucker for a good rom-com. So the day that Netflix’s newest hit, Voicemails for Isabelle, was released, I was sitting on the couch, tub of ice cream in hand, ready for one hour and 58 minutes of pure bliss.

Except it wasn’t one hour and 58 minutes of pure bliss, because while I enjoyed the movie, there was one thing I just couldn’t get past: the man I was meant to fall in love with was undoubtedly a stalker.

For those who haven’t seen the movie yet, let me set the scene – spoilers ahead.

Jill and Isabelle are not only sisters, but they’re also best friends. So, when Isabelle dies, Jill is riddled with grief and tries to deal with her emotions by leaving voicemails on her sister’s number.

But what she doesn’t know is that Isabelle’s number now belongs to a handsome man named Wes.

Understandably, the voicemails spark Wes’ curiosity, and he listens to each as they come through. He begins to get invested in Jill’s story, slowly falling for her humour and vulnerability.

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But this is where I draw the line. Wes eventually books a flight to the other side of the country, to place himself on what he now knows is Jill’s favourite bench to recreate the ideal meet-cute she describes in one of her voicemails.

Now I’m no professional, but if I had to give you a textbook definition of stalking, it probably wouldn’t be too far off from describing exactly what Wes did.

Of course Nick Robinson is exactly as handsome and charming as the writers surely hoped he would be, and he very nearly convinces you that Wes’ unsettling tendencies are instead an act of romance that we should all wish to one day encounter.

If Wes had been cast as a less charming actor with a slightly rougher, less puppy-dog-like appearance, I can almost guarantee the audience’s reaction to this film would be something entirely different.

Because, and give this some serious thought before you decide whether you agree, the plot of this film could have just as easily lent itself to a horror movie.

Now this isn’t to say it’s a bad movie. It’s actually so gripping that you almost forget how utterly unsettling it is, until... you don’t.

I know many people have been raving about this movie, but I just couldn’t convince myself any other way.

Wes is a stalker. A very attractive, charming, and seemingly harmless one at that, sure. But there is no denying it. It’s a beautifully made film, but let’s call it what it actually is: a cautionary tale disguised as a romance.