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Have you seen the movie Slapface? A teenage boy and his younger brother struggle to survive after the death of their mother. The father is absent, but apparently, he is an abusive alcoholic. The boy hangs out alone in the woods, though sometimes he is joined by a pack of three girls who bully him. He forms a special bond with one but even though they have a special relationship, the girl joins the other two in bullying him when they are all together.
The boy meets a monster when he is hanging out in an abandoned building. It is a tall shadowy figure with draped clothing, a gaunt face, a hooked nose. Although the boy thinks at first that the monster might be attacking him, he realizes that this may not be the case. In fact, they enjoy many quiet, mysterious moments together, just hanging out, quite a contrast from the more raucous moments he has with his brother who abuses him in games of “slapface.”
There are times the monster seems to be a kind of mother figure, or even father figure. The boy starts to love the monster and want to know her/him. Yet the monster is also violent at times, sometimes chaotically so. However, it is notable that the monster does not hurt the boy. And sometimes, it hurts others in an effort to protect the boy or fight for him.
Nothing becomes clear about the monster, only that its unpredictable, contradictory nature means the boy cannot continue their friendship. The boy grows into an understanding of violence and abuse and its limitations in a relationship. He matures and separates. Perhaps the monster is only the conflicted feelings in the boy as well as his dire need of maternal love and presence.
It is a beautiful and mysterious movie. I like it that much is left unexplained.