FANTASIA 2021: The Sadness
FANTASIARobert Jabbaz's latest feature, The Sadness, is a frantic and genuinely harrowing horror that takes aim at a naive post-virus nation – sound familiar? – that slowly but surely erupts in chaos and terror.
Speaking of horror, any aficionado of the genre or just general blood splatter is going to engross in this to the point of utter excitement. To say it is bloody would be an understatement. The sheer level of blood, gore, and everything else that goes with it are here in astonishing amounts. Excessively so at points, but Robert Jabbaz’s film delightfully wears such as a badge of honor throughout. Even when the gore becomes vile and harrowing, it unbelievably never takes away from The Sadness – a thrilling romance set between what is essentially a zombie outbreak. It should not be understated that the thrills are indeed thrilling and the horror indeed horrifying. The Sadness does a genuinely fantastic job of showcasing its genre in full fashion.
Regardless of its outrageous and far-fetched, Robert Jabbaz’s film is never shy to just exhilarate. While that may push the boundaries, there is a thrill in tormenting its audience, denying them what they want, and pushing them and the characters to the brink. This only works, however, with strong and immersive performances.
Thankfully, the two leads – Berant Zhu and Regina – put in an astonishing display of depth and emotional range within this feature of utter cruelty. It is the characters of this piece that depend on the tension and atmosphere elevating the material. Yes, the genre does a magnificent job but to heighten and put further jeopardy and immersion into the material, the audience need to attach themselves to the threat of survival. The Sadness does this brilliantly by crafting two characters in two antagonising positions trying to find each other. The mode of survival and that need in terms of love is, above all else, undeniably compelling, but Robert Jabbaz’s film is not that easy, and what seems simplistic and straightforward is an element the director will love to torment and play the viewer until the final scene – a devastating one at that.
The Sadness is a difficult film to sit through. It is harrowing, cruel, and undeniably sadistic, but it is a film that loves to torment and make its genre proud. It is directed in a wonderful fashion and immerses the audience with fantastic performances. It will ultimately lose a few viewers along the way and destroy anyone else still standing by its last scene, but Jabbaz’s film is a thrill ride nonetheless – and a brilliant one at that.
