Review of Tickled (2016) by Glenn G — 29 Jun 2016

FUNNY BUSINESS - My Review of TICKLED (3 Stars).

Sometimes jaw-dropping doesn't mean great. It may just mean that there are moments of surprise amidst a sea of questionable storytelling. Such is the case with TICKLED, the documentary by New Zealand filmmakers, David Farrier and Dylan Reeve, in which that moment of realization, the anagnorisis, feels stunning until you look back at how it was achieved....and then you may just feel slightly dirty.

Let's rewind for a sec. Farrier and Reeve, an entertainment journalist and editor respectively, teamed up when they both stumbled upon Competitive Endurance Tickling videos online. After blogging about it online, their first inquiries resulted in threatening, homophobic (Farrier is gay) responses from a woman claiming to represent the producing company. Being good reporters, this only made the men more curious to delve deeper. What they uncovered proved far more nefarious than what they initially expected.

In the tradition of host-driven documentaries like those of Michael Moore and Nick Broomfield, Farrier and Reeve insert themselves into and basically become part of the story. I won't spoil their discoveries, but the film seems on track to explore the perils of online coercion, identity theft and blackmail. Unfortunately, I took issue with the filmmakers' ambush tactics to get their story. Much as Michael Moore ambushed Dick Clark and Charlton Heston to get interviews with them, Farrier and Reeve use hidden cameras, secret voice recordings, or just showing up with cameras rolling to surprise their disapproving targets. We also witness some 11th hour sleight of hand as they miraculously uncover key evidence and subsequently get some PSYCHO-era dime-store psychology on one of the alleged perpetrators. It's all very haunting and, if true, speaks volumes on such issues as self-hatred, revenge, bullying, and how seemingly innocuous internet postings could ruin lives.

The participants in these fetish videos are all young, Abercrombie & Fitch type models. They're mostly clothed, and despite the obvious homoeroticism, nothing overtly sexual occurs. How much the models knew about the videos actual usage remains somewhat of a mystery since only one model comes forward for an interview. In fact, some of the parties involved have attempted to discredit and/or seek legal action against the filmmakers, denying the allegations, claiming the subjects signed releases and had full knowledge of the company's intentions, and calling foul on the filmmakers' less-than-ethical tactics.

The veracity of this documentary remains to be proven with both sides standing firm on their convictions. Regardless, TICKLED suffers from storytelling and filmmaking issues. A detour to another Tickling Video producer feels like filler as it doesn't seem to have any bearing on the main subject. Sure, it provides exposition we wouldn't have been able to get except in a voiceover, and the tickling demonstration we witness goes a long way in showing the fun side to this activity, but it feels like it's padding a slightly thin story. Also, the filmmakers in one moment use SURVIVOR-style symbolism of a bird of prey snatching away a squirrel, which elicited an audible groan from this viewer. I also felt empathy for the subjects when they were filmed without their permission, regardless of what crimes they may or may not be committing.

On the plus side, Farrier and Reeve don't play to the cameras in the way Moore and Broomfield do. They're rather benign and quite kind to their subjects, never appearing to showboat to make a point. Because of that, I liked them but didn't necessarily like their methodology. It's kind of like tickling itself, it's hugely enjoyable/torturous in the moment, but when it's over, you don't feel anything anymore. You're left haunted, slightly traumatized, and yet unwilling to experience it again.