Sometimes a doc comes around that is so beyond belief crazy that it can't be ignored. It demands your attention - attention rightly deserved, and we as the audience jump on board to discover just where this crazy-pants story will take us. Let me introduce you to TICKLED.
My initial reaction upon hearing about a documentary that would explore the wacky world of online tickling videos was that it would be an entertaining, bizarro puff piece. And that's how it started out from the filmmakers' perspective as well.
Director David Ferrier stumbled upon a video labeled "Competitive Endurance Tickling" one day when researching possible lifestyle and entertainment topics for his Auckland news segment. When he reached out to the company behind the video, asking for a bit more information and the possibility of an interview to profile this kooky underground sport, he was met with a less than hospitable response. A representative from the company, Jane O'Brien Media, lashed out with multiple emails containing homophobic remarks directed at Ferrier, a desire to not have the video reflected in a homoerotic light (this is a video wherein one young man is strapped down to a table and several other young men are tickling him, mind you), and that Ferrier should cease any and all inquiry into the matter.
Ferrier and his co-director, Dylan Reeve continued digging into the story, despite numerous legal threats, both in the United States and in New Zealand courts because the more details they uncovered, the weirder it got. First of all, information was not easy to come by. Any individuals they were able to track down who might have been associated with the videos or with the company refused to speak, and the few that did give any information revealed that the company had begun harassing and threatening them when they had tried to distance themselves from the video in any way. Whatever was behind this tickling video - Jane O'Brien Media certainly didn't want it to get out.
And thus beings the strange and bizarre journey to discover the dark truth hiding behind, of all things, tickling. What everyone (including Ferrier and Reeve) had expected to be a silly puff piece quickly unravels into a strange and nefarious web of intrigue and deceit that spans decades, continents, and a shit-ton of money. It's best seen with little more knowledge than what the trailer provides, so I'm not going to go into too much detail - so much of the experience relies on taking this journey with the filmmakers and seeing what dark shadows can hide in the unlikeliest of circumstances. But suffice it to say that this particular rabbit hole goes places nobody ever expected.
The film is hilarious, thought-provoking and extremely disturbing. Ferrier and Reeve are facing down a faceless, shadow villain who will clearly go to any extremes to protect its interests. It is fascinating to watch, because as the story beings, they have no idea exactly who or what they are facing. What is Jane O’Brien Media? Who is behind it? What is the purpose of these videos? Why are they so fanatical in keeping their participants part of the fold? The film unfolds like a mystery, and each new turn and new revelation is more unbelievable than the last, taking the audience further and further into a maze with seemingly no end in sight.
This is one the best docs you are likely to see this year. TICKLED is a well-constructed, highly entertaining film that uncovers a disturbing truth, while touching on themes of dominance, power, control and obsession. Highly recommended.
