Why was Dirk smiling for that quick minute while being scared at the drug dudes house. He seemed to be zoning out to the son i just want to know someones interpretation on this
share
Sheila ran off with Dennis and left Krampus all alone in dirty-ass Baltimore.
Yeah. I almost interpreted it as his life was flashing before his eyes in that 40 seconds and everything that lead up his being there at that house and that moment and how he wanted to just get out of it....the weird smile was out of place but it added to the strangeness of a drugged out Alfred Molina and his mix tapes with his Asian house boy lighting off firecrackers
"Shotgun! Anal!"
It is a stand out moment in the movie and I like your interpretation.
Having been in situations like that and having zoned out like that, Anderson and Wahlberg capture it perfectly. You've been up for days, you have all kinds of *beep* in your system, and crazy *beep* is going on around you and you just... zone out until something brings you back to reality.
Definitely agree with this interpretation.
I've always thought it was a brilliant scene and probably some of Wahlberg/PTA's best dialed-in acting (without having to say any dialogue). With the Scorsese-style going throughout this movie, the scene reminds me of De Niro's acting in Goodfellas, when "Sunshine of Your Love" kicks in and you realize he's going to whack everyone with that little smirk he has while smoking at the bar. In Boogie Nights, you get a sense of the revelation that Dirk's having, imagining WTF happened to arrive in such a surreal scene. It's when he finally bottoms out and decides to change.
It's probably my favourite scene in all of film actually. Never really seen anything like it in foreign or American cinema. I've always wondered what it would have been like if the film had opened with that scene. Probably not as good, but would have been interesting.
shareI always thought he was thinking back to his (jesse) glory day's in the industry and kinda having a laugh about the good ol days, and that Jessie girl reminded him of jesse and the good times they all had together.
shareI think he realized that he had hit rock bottom, and was perplexed/amused/bewildered as to how it even got to this, and how to come to terms with it.
shareI think we have all had that moment at some point in our lives where we think to ourselves, "How did I end up here?"
He stares into the abyss, realizing how far he's fallen. Such a great scene.
I believe the interpretation you all take from this scene is dead on. That is exactly what is meant to be felt from the scene. Though I did read somewhere that it was an accident. Wahlberg had actually been awake for a long period of time causing him to drift off when he was supposed to be delivering his line. If you look closely you can actually see John C Riley nudging him like "Hello? It's your line man."
shareyha, I read somewhere that it was an accident as well, but it fits so perfectly into the scene. Obviously it wouldn't be in there if PTA didn't think so as well. It's definitely one of the best moments of the movie.
Everybody on here has nailed it with their interpretation of it. I don't think there is one single correct answer, just like the different posts on here. The general idea on this thread is right on. It's definitely an epiphany moment because he just suddenly grabs his forehead and realizes "I need to get out of here."
It was just one of those great happy accidents. Let a camera keep rolling and you never know what you'll get.
I always thought of it as Dirk listening to that Rick Springfield song playing and at first having the same delusional thought that one day he'll be just like Rick. Yet as the song plays on, Dirk has his moment of clarity when the drug haze clears and he realizes this is not and never will be him. His talent was being a porn star, but he's turned his back on that. At that moment he remembers who he is and makes the decision to get out of there and back to the life he had before.
shareConsidering the song they were doing in the studio was very Springfieldesque.
The sun shone, having no alternative, on the nothing new. Samuel Beckett
I took it as it finally hit him how much he had fallen and that the situation he was in was ridiculous. I love how the camera stays on him, and you still hear the other characters.
----------
If you don't know Bigfoot then you don't know SQUATCH
One of my favorite scenes/moments for me as well
while it may of been a "happy accident" it was still somewhat scripted, proof by how mark/dirk reacts at the very END of the scene, presses his temple and realizes they have to leave
i mean if it was completely adlibbed why would wahlberg act in such a way at the end of the scene
i think mark was just "in the moment" as dirk, litteraly thinking of all the good times he had, and how low hes gotten, and how HE has the power himself to get out of it , should he want to, and realizes, he can
he wasnt really "smiling" it was just a face he was making while deep in thought, but its such a powerful moment, dirk realizes hes better than this, this s not the life he wants, jack is just a phone call/car ride away, if he's sorry enough, he can fix everything
great scene, really makes the movie, the whole rahad scene
I always thought that in addition to reflecting on the "family" he had, everything leading up to that absurd situation, and that reclaiming his past life & family was only a short distance away, that he was also thinking about Amber given that Jessie's Girl is also playing - the song's lyrics about a guy enjoying the affections of someone else's lost love. Right before the poolside fight with Jack, Dirk stares jealously at Amber while she's chatting to his rival Johnny Doe - also feeling threatened with the prospect of Doe being the replacement for Amber's affections. Dirk could have believed this really happened after walking out on Jack.
share