The Sadness
"It feels...wonderful..."
During a sweeping pandemic, a young couple clings to the hope of reuniting as the city fractures into chaos. The streets become a stage for escalating violence and morally grotesque acts as fear corrodes restraint. Jim and Kat move through a landscape where every passerby could be danger and... Read more
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Streaming availability last verified: January 14, 2026
About The Sadness
During a sweeping pandemic, a young couple clings to the hope of reuniting as the city fractures into chaos. The streets become a stage for escalating violence and morally grotesque acts as fear corrodes restraint. Jim and Kat move through a landscape where every passerby could be danger and every corner hides a new threat. The Sadness sustains a relentless pace and a raw, abrasive soundscape that pulls characters into a fever dream of containment and paranoia. Rob Jabbaz frames the story with a stark, unflinching gaze at how panic can strip away civility while keeping the focus squarely on intimate bonds and the costs of staying together. The result is a claustrophobic portrait of desperation and devotion pushed to the limit. The film refuses easy answers, instead layering disorienting set pieces with lingering dread and a jarring sensory punch.
Directed by Rob Jabbaz, The Sadness arrives as a bold entry in contemporary horror rooted in an original screenplay. The film builds a stark mood around Berant Zhu as Jim and Regina Lei as Kat, supported by a tight ensemble.
Box office data for The Sadness are not widely reported, reflecting a limited theatrical release and a following among genre fans. Its impact has grown more through festival screenings and streaming appearances than traditional box score tallies.
No major awards are listed for The Sadness in mainstream databases, and while it drew attention within horror circles for its extreme approach, it did not accumulate prominent nominations. The film is typically discussed in terms of its raw audacity rather than prize recognition.
Critics note a feverish energy and a fearless commitment to boundary pushing. The film examines fear, intimacy and moral breakdown amid disaster, using a tight pace and ferocious visuals to probe how people behave when social order unravels and numbers blur.
Details
- Release Date
- January 22, 2021
- Runtime
- 1h 39m
- Rating
- R
- User Ratings
- 1,040 votes
- Type
- Movie
- Genres
- Horror, Thriller
- Country
- Taiwan
- Studio
- Machi Xcelsior Studios
- External Links
- View on IMDB
Official Trailer
Cast
Berant Zhu
Jim
Regina Lei
Kat
Tzu-Chiang Wang
Business Man
Apple Chen
Molly
Lan Wei-Hua
Dr. Alan Wong
Ralf Chiu
Mr. Lin
Lueh-Geng Huang
Kevin / MRT Employee
Emerson Tsai
Warren Liu
Chih-Min Chou
Old Woman
An-Long Cai
President
Director: Rob Jabbaz