When it comes to the question of who is the worst director of all time, the name will undoubtedly come up at some point Uwe Bol: From horror (“Alone In The Dark”) to action (“Far Cry”) to fantasy films (“The Swords of the King”), biopics (“Max Schmeling”) or even important historical material (“Auschwitz”), the De resident of Wermelskirchen masters almost every genre.
However, whether Boll actually deserves the title of worst director is debatable. Perhaps, in the end, it is not so much his films alone as his provocative public appearances that have earned him this reputation. Ultimately, he so angered video game fans around the world that they started a petition under the motto “Stop Dr. Uwe Boll”, which collected at least 300,000 signatures (but was still unsuccessful).
Boll insulted dozens of fellow directors, defiantly described himself as the “only genius in the movie business” and allowed his hatred of film criticism to culminate in a media-heavy boxing match in 2006 in which he challenged his biggest critics in the ring. So it’s a fascinating mix of entrepreneurial foresight (financing his films through tax loopholes is legendary), careless direction (“Tara Reid plays a scientist, that’s why she wears glasses”) and his social jack-of-all-trades mentality. makes him the obvious one, but also made a very easy enemy image. Recently, Boll made negative headlines with his film treatment of the racially motivated attacks in Hanau and with increasingly confusing and conspiratorial ideological messages on social networks.
Uwe Boll in one of the best films of 2023?
Over the course of his career, which has now spanned more than three decades, Boll has not only been behind the camera, but also in front of it several times – especially in his own films. His portrayal of Adolf Hitler in the parodic superhero film ‘Blubbarella’ caused much discussion. But In 2023, his name suddenly appeared in a rather unexpected place: next to acting greats like Nina Hoss on the poster for “Don’t expect too much from the end of the world“the most recent film by Radu Jude – who won the top prize at the Berlinale in 2022 with “Bad Luck Banging Or Loony Porn”, which Boll despised, for “I don’t care if we go down in history as barbarians” (2018) from FILMSTARTS- Author Lucas Barwenczik received the rare highest rating of 5 out of 5 stars and is considered one of the most important directors working today.
Jude’s films are not only bitingly about the (Romanian) past and present, but are also true cinematic surprises. With almost endless ingenuity, they challenge their viewers to take a stand and find impressive images for complex social contexts. Plus, they’re really funny! But What is Uwe Boll doing in the celebrated filmmaker’s latest work, which topped numerous critics’ best lists last year? and currently has 100% positive reviews on the American review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes (based on at least 28 reviews)?
Very simple: Radu Jude is one of the figureheads of the so-called Romanian New Wave, while Boll shot many of his films in Romania due to the favorable production conditions. And This is how film production assistant Angela (Ilinca Manolache), which we follow for a working day in ‘Don’t Expect Too Much From The End Of The World’, in a scene based on none other than Uwe Boll (as himself)who is currently filming a trash production in Bucharest and presents himself as an incredibly likable grouch.
Perhaps behind the surprisingly self-deprecating guest appearance lies a commentary on the exploitation of Romania as a cheap film location (in which Boll himself was involved several times), perhaps it is nothing more than a very good casting stunt: the worst director in one of the best films of the year. In this way, the 58-year-old has even managed to be present at some of the most important film festivals in the world.
It is not yet known if and when “Do Not Expect Too Much From The End Of The World”, which celebrated its German premiere at the Hamburg Film Festival, will be released in cinemas here. But of course we will keep you informed!