![]() ![]() Reconciliation is missing amidst the retribution-blood just flows. Characters are flying off handles left and right, fodder to fuel Virago’s spree. That’s the frustration of it all: Slapface unanimously succeeds at making us loathe almost every character based on their mistreatment of others, but that’s also the film’s toughest pill to swallow. However, peer pressure stands out as an admirable antagonist. Moriah’s betrayal then immediate pursuit of forgiveness is a dance that missteps here and there. One minute Tom clutches Lucas tight, insisting his little brother confess what happened to bar-hookup-turned-partner Anna (Libe Barer)-the next, literally seconds later, he’s Jameson and light-beer drunk, fully clothed in the bathtub. Others are lost in shaky edits that fail to clarify passages of time. Lucas is continually blamed for Virago’s antics, calling Gandhi’s “eye for an eye” mantra to mind while using rage as a dangerous recourse aimed at bullies. There aren’t summoning rules outside Virago slaughtering humans and animals-sorry, dog and rat lovers, this movie uses four-legged friends to make brutal points-whenever the film calls for confrontation. Lucas’ guardian angel operates as neither good nor evil, blurring the lines by punishing whosoever dares harm the weak preteen after some bonding in an abandoned hospital. Lukas Hassel stars as “The Monster” (once “Ogre” in Kipp’s original short), hidden behind grungy hooded cloaks and crooked-nose makeup prosthetics akin to the Wicked Witch in Disney’s classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It becomes routine, even a learned personality trait. ![]() Kipp’s screenplay best displays Lucas’ reality, shared by many other targets of bullying-he’s told over and over that torment defines his worth. Everyone shows Lucas that pain is the only way to feel anything, especially when Moriah partakes in Donna and Rose’s hurtful pranks. Virago massacres to please its newfound companion. Twins Donna (Bianca D’Ambrosio) and Rose (Chiara D’Ambrosio) torment Lucas by throwing stones or rubbing his nose in dehydrated fallen leaves. ![]() It’s the only way Tom knows how to distract Lucas from their looming tragedy, but represents only one aspect of Lucas’ violence-ruled existence. Slapface names itself after a “game” Tom and Lucas play, taking turns smacking each other’s face raw as a means of frustration exertion. Lucas is left unattended for hours, which is how he meets an otherworldly entity known to locals as The Virago Witch-who becomes the isolated boy’s protector and only friend. Sheriff John Thurston (Dan Hedaya) warns Tom that Lucas will find himself in serious trouble someday, but Tom has no answer beyond working himself thirsty and hopeless. While promoted patriarch Tom works manual labor to pay their bills (and his Coors Light consumption), Lucas flees from schoolyard bullies, including his secret girlfriend Moriah (Mirabelle Lee). Loner adolescent Lucas (August Maturo) lives amidst woodland poverty with his brother Tom (Mike Manning), abandoned after both mother and father die in a car accident. I’m all for awareness, but wonky narrative stumbles aren’t ignorable. Writer/director Kipp expands his short into a feature that at times struggles to elongate an otherwise poignant message, leaving other worldbuilding details behind in a way that undercuts structural integrity. Carrie, Unfriended and Some Kind of Hate all take drastically different approaches to investigating the consequences often produced by harassment, but Slapface struggles to keep stride with more glowing examples. Horror’s fearless approach when spotlighting macabre themes offers storytellers the unique opportunity to confront traumatic darkness head-on. Jeremiah Kipp’s Slapface doesn’t soften its anti-bullying stance, nor would I hope for anything less. ![]()
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