It’s inevitable that after the last 18 months, pandemics and the like will be more commonplace in genre films. Shot in Taiwan by Canadian-born writer/director Rob Jabbaz, The Sadness takes contagion into nastier realms.
A pandemic of the Alvin virus has spread throughout the world, but most of the symptoms haven’t been life-threatening. However, as the world re-opens following a lockdown, people start getting lapsed with their precautions and the virus has mutated. This strain causes the infected to become sexually violent and murderously reckless. A young couple, Jim (Berant Zhu) and Kat (Regina) are separated across the city and must fight their way through hell to get reconnected. Kat has also to contend with a sleazy businessman who won’t leave her alone.
The Sadness is a brutally nasty film, the infected acting like rampaging zombies but with a sexual appetite. So it must come with a massive trigger warning, not only for the graphic depiction of the acts but for anyone susceptible to anxiety over our own pandemic. Sure, it might have brought a few crazies out of the woodwork, but at least they’re not gleefully causing bloody mayhem. What’s terrifying about the infected in The Sadness is that they retain their cognitive functions. It’s less like a zombie outbreak and more a removal of inhibitions. It’s as though these hideous qualities are within us and it just takes a twist of fate – in this case, a virus, to unlock it. There are some truly sickening moments, both of sexual assault and bone-crunching, bloodthirsty chaos, but it’s not without its humour. This, too, is in bad taste though.
Strong stomached fans of gore-filled horror will have a blast with Jabbaz’s film. Others will no doubt find it tasteless and excessive. If you can detach yourself from the current global situation, it’s a very well made, shocking but enjoyable romp.
