Title: Tickled
Directors: David Farrier, Dylan Reeve
Genre: Documentary
Cast: David Farrier, Dylan Reeve
Synopsis: Journalist David Farrier stumbles upon a mysterious tickling competition online. As he delves deeper he comes up against fierce resistance, but that doesn't stop him getting to the bottom of a story stranger than fiction. (via IMDb.com)
A Quick Note: The beginning of this review is Spoiler Free. However, after the section marked "SPOILERS AHEAD", I do talk about some the film's plot and the ending. If you are not interested in spoiling the film, please skip past this part. There is a giant text which says "SPOILERS END", where you can read my conclusion.
Before viewing Tickled, I must admit that I did a lot of research behind it. I had first heard of the film through the YouTube channel YourMovieSucksdotOrg (You can find the video here.) Adam, the channel's creator, discussed in detail the premise of the film, as well as some of the background behind it, and let me tell you, it had my interest. Albeit, in the two months since I've heard of it, I had to resort to different articles and reviews about the documentary instead of viewing it, as it was not available to me... legally. Eventually, two months later, I finally had the opportunity to take in this documentary, and I can say with confidence that it did not disappoint.
As mentioned in the synopsis, a pop culture reporter by the name of David Farrier goes down a rabbit hole stemming from the discovery of a public, yet extremely odd, YouTube video. In the video, it is a bunch of men being tickled. That's... That's really all there is to it. Young, athletic, men, most of which are bound to a table, being tickled by other young and athletic men for extended periods of time. Farrier finds out some background on the film, and decides that he would like to contact the video's creator, Jane O'Brien Media, asking them to talk a bit about the strange video, which is called a "sport" by the name of endurance tickling. What Farrier receives is brutal, homophobic messages from "Jane O'Brien", and repeated resistance to his inquiries, even to the point of threatened legal action. In the end, Farrier decides he must document this story, and what unravels is truly unexplainable.
I don't want to get too into the synopsis here in the spoiler free section. But best believe that the plot divulges into something you NEVER see coming. The film was so much more than I had anticipated. I knew the overall story: a weird video about tickling is found, and a journalist investigates. However, it bends and twists in such an unexpected and uncommon way, that by the end I was absolutely hooked.
The film's structure and directing was great. It had a nice mix of real-life interactions between the directors and the subject of the film, as well as some more staged portions which add to the story, and in my opinion do not feel like they are forced in there. What really stands out to me is the depth of knowledge that went into this film. The directors, one of which is a cultural reporter in New Zealand, mind you, went as far deep as they possibly could in investigating this story. Now, I'm not saying that a pop culture reporter has no merit, and that he loses some credibility because of his career. That is, after all, what Jane O'Brien Media claim. However, I'm suggesting the opposite; this is two men without extensive investigative work breaking a story that is almost stranger than fiction. Again, I don't want to dive too deep into the plot here, but just the fact that these guys covered all of their bases, knowing that there was some kind of resistance to their cause, is astounding.
**SPOILERS AHEAD**
You've been warned.
The plot of this film is just insane, and it is reason enough to view this documentary in full. I told my friends about this film, giving them a little piece of the plot. Of course, I was met with ridicule and light-hearted conversation. I was seriously disturbed by what I had just seen, but my friends were having none of it. This is truly a story you need to see to believe.
The perseverance of the Directors, is, once again, commendable. They were able to link David D'Amato to Jane O'Brien Media with clear and concise evidence. And can I just take a second to say how fucking disturbed I am by a guy like D'Amato being out there? That is a real life person, people. This is a person who walks among you and I! He is a sick and twisted guy. However, what makes him even more scary is that D'Amato has a twisted sense of entitlement. He's rich, and is actually using his money to create content that will produce very little profit. He's doing this for his own twisted fetish. However, I think it's silly to consider just the tickling thing to be his fetish. We've all got weird fetishes, whether we'd like to admit them or not. What D'Amato's true fetish is, well, it's blatant harassment. D'Amato likes to blackmail and threaten his former tickle slaves. He makes personal websites, and ruins their lives. It is truly horrifying, especially in the Digital Age. How has this man not been arrested for his crimes? I bet a lot of that has to do with the fact that he comes from a rich and powerful family. D'Amato thinks that he is also a legal genius. You graduated with a degree in law from Hofstra. Hahahahaha. Dude. Come on.
I'd like to bring to your attention that at a screening of the film, D'Amato actually SHOWED UP. Not only did he show up, but he and the Directors of the film went back and forth about several different aspects of the film, such as the claims against him, which he considers to be false. How can you even deny it at this point, David? They have your name linked to several of the IP's that have to do with tickling! You are fucking caught dude! Here is the interaction in full detail, and here is a transcript of David D'Amato's comments at the screening. Truly incredible stuff, here. D'Amato is not wrong though, the cinematography and the music really is top notch. But, I can't help but put myself in David's shoes. Imagine scrolling through Netflix and you come upon a documentary about competitive tickling contests. Now, remember, David loves tickling. He decides to give it a try, he did read a good review from Smoking Nutmeg, after all, and it ends up being ABOUT HIM AND HIS SHADY DEALINGS. Just insane. I give him credit; if that happened to me, the LAST thing I would notice is the doc's cinematography and music selection.
This is it for the spoilers. Crazy fucking documentary, right?
**SPOILERS ENDED**
Welcome back to the Non-Spoiler people. I recommend scrolling all the way down so you don't even get tempted by the spoiler section. Do not let the spoilers eat you up.
When it's all said and done, Tickled is one of the most unique and insightful documentaries I've seen. I think it's safe to say that when talking about a documentary, there are two kinds: one with a distinct message, and one without. That is, at least for the average viewer. The purpose of Planet Earth is most likely to get people aware about the growing threat of climate change. But when you and your buddies get stoned as fuck on a Friday night and decide to watch something trippy, you really don't give a shit about the message. Watching that orca whale feast on a poor baby seal blows your fucking mind. Who gives a shit about the ice-caps, AM I RIGHT?! I'm kidding. I'm very pro-environment. But you get my point. This film, however, when you watch, there is a serious, distinct message. Everything is not as it seems. There is so much we don't know, so much hidden at the face value of things. When it comes to Tickled, we can be glad there are people such as David Farrier and company who are willing to take that dive into the unknown.
Positives:
- Incredibly interesting and unique subject with twists and turns that keeps you on edge, and also very much out of your comfort zone, something crucial to a documentary.
- Well-done cinematography and structure that allows the film to flow seamlessly
- Immersive research results in viewer investment and engaging storylines.
Negatives:
- When you suggest this film to your friends, they're gonna laugh at you.
- There is a lot of guy on guy tickling that will definitely make you feel uneasy.
- You will lose a lot of time looking up background on this film.
High Verdict (Is this a good movie when you're stoned?): I'm not too sure. I think there are enough "aha" moments to make someone who is high's head explode, but the content is so weird that it might take you out of things all together. My ruling... View this while stoned at your own risk.
Final Verdict: 8.5/10 - A must see documentary.
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