This is kind of a post of what I see as dreamlike in terms of film. Rather than simply talk about dream sequences, I’m more interested in films that simply have a dreamlike feel running through them, despite taking place in the ‘film’s reality’. The two obvious examples of filmmakers who convey this, that come to my mind are Terrence Malick and David Lynch. Both of these directors take very different approaches to this, however. While Malick’s films kind of have this peaceful, meditative sense to them, Lynch more represents the funny, weird, intense and scary elements of dreams. Lynch is also much more obviously interested in dreams than Malick. For my project, Lynch is certainly the main influence, and perhaps more than I’ve been giving him credit for(I’ll dedicate a whole post to him soon).
Anyway, I now want to deconstruct a scene, from a more ‘what makes this dreamy’ approach, rather than more filmmaking based like my previous ones. The scene is what I sometimes call my favourite scene from what I sometimes call my favourite film: Boogie Nights. The scene is essentially a ‘drug deal gone wrong’, as three drug addicted characters, inexperienced in drug dealing, go to a renowned dealers house to make an exchange. This reasonably unoriginal concept could easily have been filmed in a gritty style where the tension is conveyed through a dangerous looking dealer etc. But the director, Paul Thomas Anderson (whom I find to often present dreamlike films, though he is rarely mentioned alongside the obvious names like Lynch), uses comedy and absurdity, combined with the typically tense things like big bodyguards with guns, to create a wonderfully surreal and intense scene.
This clip cuts about 3 minutes into the full scene, where the only real thing established is that the dealer, Rahad, likes to make and listen to his own mix tapes. Things that make me see this scene as dreamy include the sheer absurdity of Rahad, from his silver bathrobe to his passionate love for Rick Springfield. Also, the ultimately explained character of the strangely young boy throwing firecrackers throughout the entire scene – though he disappears at the end, adding to the dreaminess. Then there is the extremely long still take of Dirk, as he comes to terms with the ridiculousness of the situation and ultimately the fact that his life has gotten away from him. The unusually long take combined with Mark Wahlberg’s spaced out expression add to the dreamlike feel, even making the rest of what’s happening seem part of his own dream – sadly not the case for Dirk.