“Slapface” (**1/2 out of four) was a thoughtful melodrama about a young boy (August Maturo) who is distraught by bullying at school and the recent death of his parents who seeks solace in a dangerous local monster (Lukas Hassel) who lives in the woods but this leads to dangerous consequences for him and those around him. Extremely well-made story is atmospheric and beautifully shot by Dominick Sivilli and is unusually reflective and thought-provoking about the psychological effects of bullying but just misses. Maturo’s sincere performance is a plus but this never quite connects emotionally. This was adapted from a 2017 short film of the same name.