The Secrets of the 'Worst' Film in Cinema History

It was said that Ed Wood is the worst filmmaker in cinema history, and Tim Burton even made a film about him, but Tommy Wiseau and his film 'The Room,' made in 2003, certainly puts Ed Wood to shame; Wiseau has pushed the boundaries of poor direction, character development, dialogue writing, and acting to a point that it seems no one will be able to reach for decades - or perhaps centuries! Tommy Wiseau is a strange and mysterious character who spent six million dollars to make a film called 'The Room,' for which he was the director, producer, screenwriter, and main actor. No one still knows where Wiseau is from, how old he is, or where he got the money for this film, which only made $1,900 during its release and even caused laughter among guests at its first private screening with the director present, despite being a tragic film. However, times have changed, and 'The Room' has gained a cult following. Additionally, James Franco's new film about the making of this film (titled 'The Disaster Artist') has increased the buzz around Tommy Wiseau, leading to £15 tickets for all screenings of 'The Room' this month at the Prince Charles Cinema in London being sold out long in advance, with midnight showings arranged; all with the presence of Tommy Wiseau himself (and his friend, Greg Sestero - the film's actor, both of whom received enthusiastic receptions from the audience at all screenings). Now, Tommy Wiseau's image is printed on T-shirts, and audiences enthusiastically shout out the film's silly dialogues in unison with the film. Wiseau answered serious and joking questions from the audience at the London screenings in the same peculiar tone he speaks in the film, showcasing his ambitions, such as wanting to make a version of 'Star Wars' that includes romantic and sexual scenes! But 'The Room' is truly astonishing and unbelievable. Making a film this raw and absurd is beyond anyone's capability. Audiences now laugh for two hours at a film that was supposed to be very serious and bitter. The laughter begins from the very first scenes. The plot is as ridiculous as the execution: a girl named Lisa, after years of living with Johnny (Tommy Wiseau), is supposed to marry him next month, but she starts a romantic relationship with his best friend, Mark, and no longer loves Johnny. Johnny kills himself. Everything takes place in a room designed in the most ridiculous way possible. The performances are strangely artificial and unbelievable, to the extent that one might not find anything like it in the entire history of cinema. From the outset, sex is prominently featured in the film: the camera bizarrely rotates beside the bed, and Wiseau, instead of showing Lisa's body, displays his own buttocks in most scenes. After each scene filled with meaningless and repetitive dialogues, the camera inexplicably shows an image of San Francisco, often featuring its famous bridge. Now that this film has become a 'cult' film, audiences laugh at the bridge scenes during the screenings and shout together: 'Meanwhile in San Francisco' (and at the same time in San Francisco!). Stranger than the repetitive dialogues (like 'You two are best friends' which is repeated dozens of times by the characters) is a character who suddenly appears at Johnny's birthday party and starts advising others without any background about him. In this scene, the audience - many of whom have come to see this film repeatedly - shout together: 'Who the hell are you?!' The struggle for stardom and gaining popularity (which could even be loosely termed as a love for cinema) is an old story that has been repeated thousands of times around the world, but Tommy Wiseau is certainly a rare case who can boldly be called the 'most untalented' actor, screenwriter, and director in cinema history; a filmmaker who coincidentally has a new film on the way: 'Best Friends,' which was quietly made in Los Angeles with the help of Greg Sestero and is set to be released soon. Tommy Wiseau is now truly a star; albeit not of the serious kind.