Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

The Sadness 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf July 11, 2024

Rob Jabbaz makes his feature-length directorial debut with “The Sadness,” heading to the world of horror to create a first impression with audiences, like many aspiring moviemakers before him. It’s zombie cinema in a way, but the material is largely inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic, with production taking place in 2020, when the world was still trying to manage the details of the viral event. “The Sadness” uses this sense of confusion and chaos as a starting point for a tale of survival, with Jabbaz working to add as much blood and guts as possible. “The Sadness” is an exercise in extremity, and while the helmer has all the gore and ugliness imaginable, he neglects to create a pace to the endeavor, which never feels alive as it drags from one makeup effects display to the next.

It’s a beautiful morning in Taiwan, but Jim (Berant Zhu) has disappointed his girlfriend, Kat (Regina Lei), forgetting her plans to take a much need vacation together. They part for the day, with Kat riding a commuter train to work, engrossed in a book during the ride. Interrupting her is The Businessman (Tzu-Chaing Wang), who’s been lusting after Kat for a long time, finally taking a chance to talk to her. Their awkward conversation is interrupted by a breakout of the Alvin Virus, which turns the infected into monsters unable to control their urges, resulting in vicious murders and depraved sexual assaults. Fighting her way into a local hospital, Kat is confronted with the horrible reality of the viral spread. Across town, Jim is also exposed to the unfolding nightmare taking over the city, on a mission to find Kat, doing whatever he can to battle the infected.

Jim and Kat are the central couple in “The Sadness,” and their love is meant to act as the glue for the production, with the screenplay tracking their efforts to reunite. Jabbaz never sells the urgency of the pairing, with their romance dulled immediately, making it difficult to stay interested in their shared future. Performances are partly to blame, finding Zhu weirdly unresponsive during the run time, but Jabbaz also doesn’t have a soft side, adding a perfunctory element of love to generate a plot for a production that’s basically a demo reel for makeup work. “The Sadness” eventually separates the sleepy pair, creating two subplots as Jim figures out the end of the world, and Kat experiences it inside a train and a medical building.

“The Sadness” saves its explanation of the Alvin Virus until its final minutes, leaving the rest of the movie to explore an undefined event that turns most of the infected into mindless monsters trying to destroy any living thing near them. The Businessman is the primary ghoul for Jabbaz, who returns to the corrupt man repeatedly as he pursues Kat, desperate the tear her apart. The feature takes some time to get to attack sequences, but once blood flows, “The Sadness” works hard to highlight atrocities as innocent people are quickly overtaken by the infected. Jabbaz revels in gore and darkness, with a substantial portion of doomsday devoted to sexual assaults, including The Businessman, who takes advantage of one victim’s recently emptied ocular cavity to satisfy his needs. The endeavor goes crazy (including the consumption of babies and genital torture), but only in spurts, and these displays of viciousness are well-executed by the crew, who deliver visceral moments of flesh-tearing agony.

The Sadness 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Screencaps are taken from the Blu-ray release

The UHD release of "The Sadness" does exceptionally well with fine detail, often going pore-deep with facial surfaces. Gore zone visits are also textured, delivering a full appreciation of shredded flesh and assorted makeup achievements, including bulging eyes. Exteriors retain depth, exploring the expanse of rural tours and city life. Interiors handle with dimension, preserving some claustrophobic settings. Color is rich, with bold reds throughout the viewing experience as blood pours into the feature. Primaries are sharp with signage and costuming. Greenery is distinct. Highlights do struggle at times, possibly reaching the limitations of the original cinematography with some blown- out shots. Blacks are acceptably deep. Compression falters on occasion, with banding present at times.

The Sadness 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA delivers clear dialogue exchanges, balancing quieter moments of intimacy with more chaotic survival interactions. Scoring cues are sharp, with a fresh sense of synth and surround immersion. Low-end delivers some heavier beats and harder hits of violence. Sound effects are distinct, securing all the goopy, stabby events from various rampages. Atmospherics are appreciable, capturing community bustle and room tone.

The Sadness 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Booklet (30 pages) contains an essay by Brandon Streussing, a "Gore Guide," and storyboards.

• Commentary #1 features director Rob Jabbaz and composers Tzechar.

• Commentary #2 features director Rob Jabbaz and medical advisor Shu.

• Commentary #3 features film critic Simon Abrams.

• Interview (38:29, HD) is a video conference discussion of "The Sadness" with director Rob Jabbaz, who displays confidence in the work, describing the effort put into the production, which drained him emotionally and physically. Hoping to make "people fucking shit their pants," Jabbaz expected a strong reaction to the movie, taking advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to appear in plenty of film festivals. The origin story of the project is detailed, with the producer looking to jam "The Sadness" through the production process to take advantage of the global situation, tasking the helmer to dream up something creative, aiming to shake up zombie cinema. The mission to use practical effects is highlighted, with Jabbaz looking to make something nasty instead of flashy, going against trends. The interviewee walks through his hiring process, initially writing the script before finally being asked to direct, tasked with proving himself as he hopes to launch a career. Jabbaz closes with thoughts on the extremity of the picture, believing in the "freedom of artistic expression."

• Color Grading Comparison (11:41, HD) explores visual refinement made to "The Sadness" with colorist Paul Hanrahan.

• "Fantasia Festival Awards Presentation" (7:36, HD) captures pre-show thoughts from director Rob Jabbaz, and a post- screening award presentation for "Best First Feature."

• Behind the Scenes Featurettes (HD) cover "Special Effects" (1:10), "The Businessman" (3:23), "The Director" (3:17), "Art Director" (1:03), and "The Production" (5:28).

• Short Films (HD) from director Rob Jabbaz include "Clearwater" (6:20) and "Fiendish Funnies" (3:13).

• "The New Wave of Taiwanese Horror" (15:03, HD) is a video essay by Samm Deighan.

• And four Theatrical Trailers (6:12, HD) are included.

The Sadness 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Jabbaz has a vision for grisliness, and he tries to work in some commentary on the COVID-19 world, as politicians labor to downplay obvious danger during an election year. Ultimately, the helmer lightly paws at the topic, and he doesn't have much interest in creating a snowballing level of danger for the characters. He throttles "The Sadness" with limp scenes of contact between Jim and Kat, and the end goes for an exposition dump, coming too late in the feature to help develop its sense of threat. "The Sadness" is a fine showcase for technical achievements, as Jabbaz and his team accomplish quite a bit with an obviously limited budget. There's just no sense of movement to the picture, never allowing viewers to feel the pressure of the situation instead of simply being grossed out by it.