Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
A young couple is pushed to the limits of sanity as they attempt to be reunited amid the chaos of a pandemic outbreak. The streets erupt into violence and depravity, as those infected are driven to enact the most cruel and ghastly things imaginable.
The Sadness is a Taiwanese extreme horror that earns its notoriety through sheer, relentless, boundary-obliterating gore and depravity — its Novelty is genuinely exceptional, pushing the infected-outbreak subgenre into territory few films dare attempt. The practical effects and cinematography are competent and sometimes impressive given the budget, capturing the chaos with visceral energy. The acting is serviceable, with the leads holding up reasonably well under extreme circumstances. However, the plot is threadbare — essentially a delivery mechanism for set pieces — and the ending feels abrupt and unsatisfying, failing to provide meaningful resolution or emotional payoff to the ordeal the characters endure.