Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Cosmic Spider-Man card details

    [EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW] The Spider-Man Set Gets A 5-Color Legendary Spider

    09/02/2025
    Lee Corso from College Football GameDay in EA Sports games

    EA Sports Always Understood Lee Corso’s Legacy

    09/01/2025
    Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 2 But Why Tho 10

    Spider-Man Is Coming To Magic And It’s Just Like The Comics

    08/29/2025
    Star Wars Visions Volume 3 Black

    ‘Black’ Sets The Tone For A Bold New Mixtape In ‘Star Wars Visions: Volume 3’

    08/28/2025
    Olivia Colman in The Roses

    ‘The Roses’ Is A Reimagining, Not A Remake, And That’s Why It Works So Well

    08/27/2025
  • Indie Games
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Apple TV+
But Why Tho?
Home » Film » FANTASIA FEST 2021: ‘The Sadness’ Is Sick

FANTASIA FEST 2021: ‘The Sadness’ Is Sick

Kate SánchezBy Kate Sánchez08/21/20215 Mins ReadUpdated:05/12/2022
The Sadness - But Why Tho
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

The Sadness - But Why Tho

Content Warning: The Sadness features sexual assault and rape

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

I can stand a lot of gore and a lot of violence. But when Fantasia Fest 2021 listed trigger warnings on the film page for The Sadness, it wasn’t joking. When a film has “Fantasia rarely gives trigger warnings, but this film warrants all of them. Proceed with caution,” attached to it, you have to brace yourself. In short, The Sadness slowly builds to madness in its opening, but when it gets there, it stays and drives deeper and deeper into darkness and violence with gallons of blood lining its path.

A Taiwanese film, The Sadness is directed and written by Rob Jabbaz and stars Regina Lei, Tzu-Chiang Wang, and Berant Zhu. If I had to describe the film quickly, it’s Mayhem mixed with 28 Weeks Later, but so much more brutal than both of them combined. So much so, it took everything I had to watch it all in one sitting because even when you look away, the sound of skin tearing, bones breaking, and blood spewing doesn’t let you escape the terror.

In The Sadness, we see an alternate version of Taiwan where an epidemic has spread with mostly benign symptoms. But when the citizens and government let their guard down, the virus mutates. Similar to rabies,  this take on a rage virus begins to break down the country. The infected are unable to control their basal instincts, acting on every primal impulse, resulting in a lot of violence, blood, and sex. The Sadness is an absolute slaughterhouse for the former, taking enclosed spaces and using them to their full potential for mayhem. A restaurant, a hospital hallway, and a train car are all devoured by ultra-violence. Everything becomes a weapon. Bodies are pulled apart, weaponized, maimed, and any other terrible thing you can think of. Additionally, it must be noted the film features scenes of sexual violence. While the camera pans away, the screams and reactions don’t do much to hide the vile actions.

In all the sick and twisted set pieces and human moments that turn monstrous, there is a story that works. While the infection and the violence are centerstage, The Sadness is pushed forward by its leads Regina Lei and Berant Zhu, who play a couple separated across the city and desperate to find each other again. At the same time, the world goes to Hell around them. While we get to see the world through their perspectives, it’s Kat, played by Lei, who is the film’s strongest character and the one who works to showcase the world. She faces harrowing circumstances, fights back, and keeps pushing to survive as she is pushed to the edge at every turn. Lei gives a great performance filled with both fear and defiance in the face of the infection and the violence it brings. She even offers compassion in moments where it would be easy just to run. In fact, Kat is a dynamic character and the only reason I didn’t stop watching the film –despite my queasy stomach.

For his part, though, Tzu-Chiang Wang is a specter of violence and a silent intimidating force as an unnamed Businessman. He perpetrates some of the worst violence in the film and chases Kat. He is scarier than the virus and scarier than what is happening around him. The way the Businessman revels in his harm is terrifying. In fact, the ultra-violence in The Sadness is pushed past the brink of just gore because of the “fun” the infected are having. Their smiles and their laughter are all too much to handle.

There are elements of The Sadness that pay direct homage to infection films that came before in the film’s opening as we slowly settle into a pandemic landscape. But once Jabbaz flips on the switch, the moments to catch your breath are few and far between before he rips the rug out from under you again. The shocking elements of the film are just that, and while they offer little narrative value, they work to build a transgressive film that is sure to make some people tap out of their viewing.

To pull this off, the effects work on the film had to be over the top without falling into absurdity. You see, absurd violence isn’t scary or unsettling. With buckets of blood, faces being peeled off, brains being eaten, and umbrellas pulling out eyes, all of this could have been comedic. That said, none of it is; all of it is meant to hurt the viewer and push them out of any sense of comfort.

There is no mercy in The Sadness. The film is shocking, mean, and as bleak as can be. It’s stunningly graphic, and I can’t say I’ve watched a film that has made me more unbearably uncomfortable. From the sexual violence to the mutilation and the unrelenting push of sound that offers no escape even if you turn your head, The Sadness is something I can’t recommend to people. That said, that doesn’t mean that the film doesn’t succeed in its goal. In fact, I genuinely wish I had never watched it. But even with my inability to score this film, Jabbaz does exactly what he wanted to do. He delivers a viscerally unsettling onslaught of ultra-violence with a good story nestled within it. And if that’s your jam, this one should be top on your list.

The Sadness is available now on Shudder. 

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleFANTASIA FEST 2021: ‘One Second Champion’ Is an Exciting Rocky-esque Sports Drama With a Twist
Next Article JAPAN CUTS 2021: ‘The Great Yokai War – Guardians’ Is a Wondrous Family Fantasy Epic
Kate Sánchez
  • Website
  • X (Twitter)
  • Instagram

Kate Sánchez is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of But Why Tho? A Geek Community. There, she coordinates film, television, anime, and manga coverage. Kate is also a freelance journalist writing features on video games, anime, and film. Her focus as a critic is championing animation and international films and television series for inclusion in awards cycles. Find her on Bluesky @ohmymithrandir.bsky.social

Related Posts

Choi Gyu-ri, Shin Eun-Soo in Love Untangled
7.5

REVIEW: ‘Love Untangled’ Is Just Adorable

08/31/2025
Austin Butler in Caught Stealing
8.5

REVIEW: ‘Caught Stealing’ Marks An Exciting Pivot for Darren Aronofsky

08/27/2025
Margaret Qualley stars as Honey O' Donahue in the film Honey Don't
8.5

REVIEW: ‘Honey Don’t!’ Is A Genius Work Of Subversion And Fantasy Fulfillment

08/25/2025
Benedict Cumberbatch in The Roses But Why Tho
5.0

 REVIEW: ‘The Roses’ Lacks A Thorny Edge

08/25/2025
Mert Ramazan Demir in Abandoned Man
6.5

REVIEW: ‘Abandoned Man’ Lacks Depth In Its Take On Betrayal

08/22/2025
Ne Zha 2 promotional still from a24
10.0

REVIEW: ‘Ne Zha 2’ Is One Of The Most Epic Feats Of Animation

08/21/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
Cosmic Spider-Man card details Features

[EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW] The Spider-Man Set Gets A 5-Color Legendary Spider

By Kate Sánchez09/02/2025Updated:09/02/2025

An exclusive look at a new 5-Color Spider entering Magic: The Gathering’s Spider-Man set, and Cosmic Spider-Man is going to be a tough one to take on.

Hololive EN at Radio City Music Hall Events

Hololive EN At Radio City Music Hall Was A Pure Expression Of Fandom

By Adrian Ruiz08/31/2025Updated:09/03/2025

Hololive EN turned Radio City in New York City into the pure expression of fandom: chants, penlights, and community in perfect sync.

Karl Anthony Towns in NBA 2k26 But Why Tho
8.5
PS5

REVIEW: ‘NBA 2K26’ Brings Basketball To Life

By Kyle Foley09/03/2025

NBA 2K26 combines improved visuals with some important tweaks to keep the series feeling fresh in the latest yearly release.

Cronos: The New Dawn Nest
8.0
PC

REVIEW: ‘Cronos: The New Dawn’ Does Post-Apocalyptic Psychological Horror Right

By Mick Abrahamson09/03/2025Updated:09/03/2025

While not particularly sacry, Cronos: The New Dawn is a lot of fun as a survival horror that puts you in the futuristic armor of the Traveler.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here