“It’s essentially a really well-polished B-movie/grindhouse flick where there are literally no boundaries […] Characters are paper-thin, and every plot point is just an excuse for violence to happen. It’s not totally my thing, but I can really admire it.” Jason Huang
“ …The Sadness lacks momentum. It begins to feel like a series of episodic gross-outs more than anything with rising action or honest tension. And it feels thin on political or social commentary even though it’s clearly trying. It’s too distracted by one-upping the scene before to ask why.” RogerEbert.com
“There’s no sugar-coating The Sadness, it is an absolutely brutal film that seems expressly constructed to shock and offend. With a kinetic force that rarely allows the audience to slow down and gather its thoughts about the bloody mayhem spilling from every frame, The Sadness is anything but subtle, which is both a blessing and its biggest drawback.” Screen Anarchy
“This reviewer is no fan of the genre, but somehow, between the smooth production, excellent death metal-meets Taiwanese temple music soundtrack, fast-paced action and not-so-subtle digs at the government and humanity, The Sadness (哭悲) proved to be mildly entertaining.” Tapei Times
“Jabbaz does a great job as the director, creating wonderful establishing shots. His screenplay contains interesting characters, nail-biting situations and lots and lots of violence. His dark story offers an insight into the brutality mankind is capable of. The makeup work deserves a great deal of praise.” UK Film Review
Release:
The Sadness was released in Taiwan on January 22, 2021.
Original title:
哭悲 “Cry”
Technical details:
1 hour 39 minutes
Audio: D-Cinema 48kHz 5.1
Teaser trailer:
