The Sadness

The Sadness is a 2021 Taiwanese body horror film written and directed by Canadian filmmaker Rob Jabbaz in his feature film directorial debut. It stars Berant Zhu and Regina as a Taiwanese couple who attempt to reunite amidst a viral pandemic that turns people into homicidal maniacs. Produced by Machi Xcelsior Studios and producer David Barker, The Sadness received a theatrical release in Taiwan on 22 January 2021. The film premiered internationally at the 74th Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland on 12 August 2021. Plot In modern-day Taiwan, medical experts and government officials butt heads over the "Alvin" virus, a flu-like infection. The government has refused to take large-scale measures to prevent the transmission of Alvin, and many ordinary people doubt that the virus exists at all. However, some virologists fear that it has the potential to mutate and cause serious illness. Jim and Kat, a young couple in Taipei, pass a bloody crime scene while driving to a train station. Jim drops Kat off at the station, and then goes to a nearby cafe. There, a bloodied older woman with darkened eyes assaults other customers, spitting thick mucus on one and burning an employee with hot cooking oil. The man she spat on attacks another customer. She chases Jim into the street, where she is run over by a car driven by a man with the same darkened eyes and crazed expression. Jim flees back to his apartment on foot, chased by the infected locals. He texts Kat to stay where she is, promising to rescue her. A neighbor then attacks him, cutting off two of his fingers with garden shears. Jim fends off his neighbor and manages to escape, using a cloth to try to cover his injury.