Strange Planet


Strange Planet is a 1999 Australian dramedy film directed by Emma-Kate Croghan and starring Claudia Karvan, Naomi Watts, Alice Garner and Hugo Weaving. The film takes place in Sydney between New Year's Eve 1998 and January 2000. It was Croghan's follow up to Love and Other Catastrophes and used many of the same cast and crew.

Plot

The film explores the lives of three male friends and three female friends over the course of one year. Judy has an affair with her married boss. Sally is a party girl open to all experiences. Alice is morally strict but feels stuck.
Ewan is a lawyer who hates the law. Joel is left by his wife. Neil is desperate for love.

Cast

At one stage it was planned that the film would be shot at the same time as another movie, Revolver which would be directed by Emma Kate Croghan while Stavros Kazantzidis would make Strange Planet. However, in the end Croghan directed Planet and Revolver was never made.
The time lapse footage of the Sydney Harbour Bridge was shot by a cameraman who was permitted to climb the bridge without a harness and spend 12 hours there overnight.
Dusty Springfield personally cleared the film's usage of her recording of "The [Look of Love (1967 song)|The Look of Love]" only days before her death in March 1999.

Reception

The film was well-received critically but a disappointment commercially that received little marketing attention. In 2005, Croghan told The Age:
Croghan is yet to direct another feature film.