Directors: David Farrier & Dylan Reeve
Tickled
Rating: 4/5
2016 has been another great year for the documentary genre and Tickled is one that you really cannot afford to miss this weekend, as it is a terrific - and rather unexpected - watch.
After stumbling upon a bizarre competitive endurance tickling video online, wherein young men are paid to be tied up and tickled, reporter David Farrier reaches out to request a story from the company. But the reply he receives is shocking the sender mocks Farrier's sexual orientation and threatens extreme legal action should he dig any deeper.
So, like any good journalist confronted by a bully, he does just the opposite: he travels to the hidden tickling facilities in Los Angeles and uncovers a vast empire, known for harassing and harming the lives of those who protest their involvement in these films. The more he investigates, the stranger it gets, discovering secret identities and criminal activity. Discovering the truth becomes Farrier's obsession, despite increasingly sinister threats and warnings.
I have to admit, I didn't know what to expect when I sat down to watch this film but it really turned into a truly riveting movie that took plenty of unexpected twists and turns.
This does start out as a film that explores the silly topic of tickling... but it some becomes a movie that explores the dark side of bullying on the internet and the real world implications that it can have.
Yes, Tickled starts out as a funny documentary, but I wasn't expecting the dark twist that turns this into a hugely compelling piece of filmmaking as well as an uncomfortable watch at times.
The movie marks the feature film directorial debut of journalist David Farrier while Dylan Reeve makes the leap from short film projects for the first time.
Ferrier and Reeve do a great job in notching up the tension as they delve deeper and deeper into this weird and very dark world where threats and bullying equals power.
This is a great piece of investigative journalism and Ferrier is determined when it comes to uncovering the truth and getting the answers that he seeks.
Tickled really is an intriguing piece of documentary cinema that takes turns that you never would have expected. This is a movie that poses interesting questions and stays with you long after the credits have rolled.
Tickled really is a film that you cannot afford to miss this weekend.
Tickled is out now.