Habit Film Spotlight
Today’s film spotlight focuses on the short film Habit directed by Kevin W. Koehler.
What is the title of your film and what inspired said title?
The name of the film is Habit. While the title refers to the name of the specific religious clothing worn by the nun in the film, it also recalls the other meaning of the word: the repeated things we do every day that create our identities and personalities.
Tell us a little bit about the story and origins of your film.
Growing up Catholic, I’ve always been fascinated by nuns. It’s such an extreme choice to make – to dedicate one’s life to a religious order and forsake romantic love from another human being forever. That’s something I wanted to explore. Not just in how one comes to make that decision, but how one comes to undo it, and reenter the world that they once chose to leave.
Any films or filmmakers that inspired this film?
The film is made in a very naturalistic style: entirely handheld, shot on location with minimal lighting and score. Not exactly Dogme 95, but what I would call describe as “Dogme adjacent.” Lars von Trier’s Breaking the Waves was certainly an influence, as was Andrea Arnold’s Fish Tank, Elaine May’s Mikey and Nicky, and Fassbinder’s Ali: Fear Eats the Soul.
What is the goal of the film for you?
I know lots of filmmakers make a short as a selling tool or proof of concept for something larger. A feature perhaps, or a TV series. But for me, I wanted to make a short film that simply existed for its own sake. It’s not for anything other than to tell a good story that hopefully means something to those who watch it.
What has the journey been like getting the film into production?
The journey was long. It took probably two years from writing the script until production. Raising the money, finding the right team and locations. It took a lot of time. It’s a cliché to say that the location is a character in the film, but the cliché is true in this case. We needed the right kind of hotel, which we ultimately found in LA’s skid row – literally the most dangerous sixteen blocks in America. Filming in such a place provides its own challenges, obviously, but we were able to capture a world that we would have missed had we tried to recreate it on a stage. It was certainly one of the most creatively fulfilling experiences of my life.
One thing you learned from this project?
There is always more you can take out of the script. To meet the scheduling demands, I thought I’d trimmed the screenplay to its essential parts. Then once we got to the editing room, I realized I had still shot too much. It was never a very dialogue-heavy film, but when editing we discovered we didn’t need much of what little we had. We cut probably a third of the lines out. A lot of credit goes to the wonderful actors – and especially Emily Goss, who plays the sister – who were able to convey so much without speaking.
How can folks find you and your film online?
Habit was recently awarded the best International Narrative Short at Ireland’s esteemed Kerry Film Festival:
https://kerryfilmfestival.com/kerry-international-film-festival-2021-winners-announced/
The Habit website is regularly updated with festival screening information:
https://habitshortfilm.com/
You can also find Habit info across social media at @habitshortfilm
Any last pieces of advice for fellow filmmakers?
Surround yourself with talented people. They will make you look good.
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