Ah, young love. What could keep two young lovers apart? Perhaps a horde of blood-lusting zombies. That is exactly what happens in Rob Jabbaz’s debut feature film, The Sadness. Jim (Berant Zhu) and Kat (Regina Lei), a young Taiwanese couple, wake up on a seemingly normal day. Kat leaves for work as Jim stays home, and, as is expected in an outbreak film, the two are then separated by horrific violence. The film follows both characters as they attempt to get back in contact, stay out of danger, and reunite.
A Familiar Yet Brutal Zombie Outbreak
The Sadness is your standard zombie outbreak movie—a virus is making people lose their shit and commit violent crimes against each other. However, the infected aren’t quite zombies, as they keep their memories and human logic, and don’t have to die to turn. The virus in The Sadness is inspired by the outbreak comic Crossed written by Garth Ennis. The premise isn’t terribly unique, and the plot is probably the weakest aspect of the film. The thing that really sets this film apart is the scale of its brutality.
The sexual violence was genuinely disturbing, but overall I felt like the film, thankfully, shied away from showing it on screen. The regular violence, however, was all out in the open, and there were some very creative ways that people were literally torn apart. The film is an absolute bloodbath! I would wager that the amount of fake blood used rivals The Shining.
Stunning Gore and Practical Effects
The Sadness is filled with gory practical effects and props made by IF SFX Art Maker. Each effect is impressive, and the diversity of the kills makes them incredibly impressive and fun to watch. Some of the effects were legitimately stomach-turning. This movie singlehandedly made me want to watch more films with work from IF SFX Art Maker, they were that good.
A Scattered Narrative with Pandemic Commentary
Other than the outstanding props, I think the plot was quite unfocused. First of all, Ruffalo is the narrative of Jim and Kat’s separation, but there are also themes relating to the Covid-19 pandemic, and also the inherently violent nature of humankind. Personally, I find the latter theme to be blasé and pessimistic. I’m also a little reluctant to watch films commenting on the COVID-19 pandemic as we are still in said pandemic, and it is hard to analyze traumatic events while still experiencing them.
However, I do think that The Sadness had some valuable criticism of government incompetence in responding to the pandemic. This was most exemplified in a scene where a group of people watched a government broadcast on television, in which the president gave a lukewarm response to the raging violence happening throughout the country. Overall, I would have appreciated more focus on the story between Jim and Kat.
Who Should Watch The Sadness?
If you’re looking for a unique, narrative-driven zombie film, you’re better off watching The Girl With All The Gifts or Train to Busan. While the narrative elements fell a little flat, if you’re a special effects gore freak like me, I’d definitely recommend this movie. It’ll have you seeing red.
Where to Watch
The Sadness is streaming on Shudder.