'Cry Sad') is a 2021 Taiwanese zombie horror film written, directed, and edited by Canadian filmmaker Rob Jabbaz in his feature directorial debut.

[1] It stars Berant Zhu and Regina Lei as a young couple attempting to reunite amidst a viral pandemic that turns people into homicidal sadists.

Jim and Kat, a young couple in Taipei, pass a bloody crime scene while riding their moped to a train station.

A blood-soaked old woman with black eyes and a crazed expression assaults other cafe customers, spitting thick mucus on one of them and burning an employee with hot cooking oil before tearing his face off.

Kat and Molly barely escape the train station as an employee named Kevin shuts the entrance, which he says he did under police orders even if it meant trapping them inside with the businessman.

The government broadcasts an emergency message vowing to take control of the situation, but an infected army general turns and kills the president with a grenade on live television.

Kat escapes into a stairwell as the businessman finds Molly in a wheelchair and rapes her eye wound, infecting her as Kevin hides nearby.

Alan explains that he attempted to find the cure for the Alvin virus, which—in its mutated form—connects the parts of the brain that control sexual urges and aggression.

[3][5] The effects crew spent up to three months producing a number of practical artificial heads, including some that could be made to explode or spray blood, as well as prostheses, organs, and other props.

"[8] Film Threat's Alex Saveliev awarded The Sadness a 10/10 score, calling it "some kind of genius, propelling ahead with a vicious force, full throttle, both embracing and disregarding convention".

Saveliev praised the style of the film, observing that "it's made with filmmaking finesse, elegantly structured, with a gorgeous electronic score helping to drive the narrative [...] obvious allusions to the current pandemic resonate, skillfully avoiding the 'overwrought' trap".

[9] Han Cheung of the Taipei Times called the film a "slickly-produced gorefest", noting the "fast-paced action and not-so-subtle digs at the government and humanity" but lamenting "the oversimplified plot and lack of attention to storytelling nuances and details".

[5] Phuong Le of The Guardian gave the film 3/5 stars, writing, "Unencumbered by a need to explicitly spell out any overarching message, The Sadness accentuates gore's tactile yuckiness, utilising practical effects in a fashion that recalls retro exploitation flicks."

She criticized the film's use of sexual violence as "a desensitising misstep" and added, "Nevertheless the assured command of style situates Jabbaz as an impressive new voice in horror cinema.