Dogs in Space

Featuring Michael Hutchence in his only major film role, Richard Lowenstein’s charmingly shambolic snapshot of post-punk inner-city Melbourne youth has become emblematic of the place, the time and the music.

Set in 1978, Dogs in Space is the story of musician Sam and his girlfriend Anna, who live in a dilapidated share house just off Bridge Road in Richmond. But with little in the way of traditional narrative, Lowenstein’s iconic, semi-autobiographical 1986 film plays more like an extended, often drug-fuelled party with the funny, messy and chaotic residents and hangers-on at 18 Berry Street. Ultimately, however, the hedonism cannot last.

Dogs in Space was famously based on Lowenstein’s own share-house experience alongside Sam Sejavka, frontman of short-lived but beloved Melbourne art-punk group The Ears. Having established himself throughout the early 80s as the go-to music video director for Australian bands – including Crowded House, Hunters & Collectors and, most prominently, INXS – Lowenstein was not only able to convince Hutchence, at the peak of his early fame, to star as Sam, but also corralled numerous other local musicians to appear in or contribute to the film. Saskia Post has a magnetic chemistry with Hutchence, while Nique Needles, Chris Haywood, Hugo Race and the vast ensemble bring an energetic authenticity to the picture, enhanced by Lowenstein’s Altman-esque approach to overlapping dialogue.

“Dogs in Space remains as exhilarating as ever: it’s a hyper-charged, humorous and wryly captivating journey into the kinetic core of an era.” – FilmInk