Habitares, the debut film of Argentine producer-turned-filmmaker Marina Zeising is, first and foremost, a documentary made with the best intentions. It’s meant to be a significant exploration of the artistic experience of Herta Scheurle, a friend of the family of the filmmaker, who in her youth in the 1960s spent a brief period of time in the artistic commune of famed director Rainer Werner Fassbinder and musician Peer Raben.
She also acted in a few plays in Argentina, without much success, and it was at her father’s insistence that she pursue a conventional profession — which ended up being teaching German — that Herta stopped following her dreams. That is until very recently, when she officially retired as a professor. Now she wants to make up for the lost time and have a chance to become a sound artist.
But the thing is there’s too little in Herta Scheurle’s artistic experience to explore. Her few performances, while valuable to her, are nothing particularly compelling to make up a story of a larger scope. Furthermore, the archive footage regarding Fassbinder and his company is equally anecdotic and doesn’t say much about anything. The same goes for her personal photographs.
What is interesting and worth exploring though is Herta’s sense of regret and feelings about perhaps having wasted a good deal of her life doing something she didn’t enjoy. Her unfulfilled yearnings and her willingness to keep desire alive provide moderately good dramatic material. To some extent, the maker of Habitares accomplishes the task of accounting for that as she engages into a relaxed, friendly dialogue with her subject and does bring about some confessions. When we get to look deeper into Herta, that’s when the film is alive and kicking — and when she jokes, in a very loving way.
But for the most part what you have is a sketch of a project that could have certainly used more research, more introspection, and more of a singular gaze to bring about deeper aspects that seem to still remain in the shadows. Or perhaps what you get is all there is to see.
Production notes
Habitares (Argentina, 2014). Written and directed by Marina Zeising – with the collaboration of Herta Scheurle. Cinematography and editing: Marina Zeising. Running time: 61 minutes.
