Summary
The real reason to keep watching is the ambition — audiences will remain seated, curious of the outcome.
Netflix limited series The Houseboat was released on the streaming service on March 9, 2021.
What strikes the most in The Houseboat is how casual both men are at this daunting project. For those who are meticulous, this kind of project would stress them out. The series follows Olli Schulz and Fynn Kliemann, who bought late singer Gunter Gabriel’s houseboat with the intention of renovating it into a musical space. The boat is wrecked and way beyond maintenance needs. As they scrap there way through it, it’s clear that it needs gutting entirely, as walls peel off with ease, water leaks from ceilings near cables, and the musky, moldy air can almost be smelt through the screen as you watch Olli and Fynn navigate through the first month of the project.
Netflix’s The Houseboat can be admired for the eagerness to take on a passion project. Olli and Fynn could easily buy a boat that’s up to a good standard and make it their own. However, there’s something sentimental about Gunter Gabriel’s houseboat. It was going to be archived in a museum, with little to no use. There’s beauty in making something last as long as possible.
Once Gunter’s daughter takes the worth keeping, the renovation becomes purely about what it will become. Olli Schulz and Fynn Kliemann are a strange pair of musicians; they seem to bounce off each other, but at the same time, have different exerts of energy when it comes to getting their hands dirty. There’s certainly a generational shift between both of them; while one spends time shitting on the toilet uploading a new Instagram story, the other is fascinated that they are uploading an Instagram story. There’s plenty back and forth to enjoy in The Houseboat.
At only four episodes long, the limited series presents a beginning to end project for the audience; after the first episode, The Houseboat notches it up a few gears, where the casualness of the approach starts to get serious — serious considerations are made, and tensions rise. The series highlights how easily money can be wasted and how the purpose of the project can lose weight. The real reason to keep watching is the ambition — audiences will remain seated, curious of the outcome.
The Houseboat is an ambitious project with an absurdly casual approach, serving as a nice little limited series on Netflix.
