TICKLED (2016)

Directed By: David Farrier & Dylan Reeve 
Cinematography By: Dominic Fryer 
Editor: Simon Coldrick 


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.


This documentary is actually very strong as you. Believe it will be about one subject and it tries to be but becomes about something bigger and more sinister.

Which is where it's power lies as going into the film you think this will be a strange type of documentary on a subject not that serious. Then it quickly devolved into this kind of conspiracy. Where you never know where it is exactly going to next.

It is a documentary that is best to go into blind to allow for discovery and have more of an effect. 

This film makes you actually nervous about what happens as unlike most documentaries you don't necessarily know what is going. To happen by the end. So you feel the full suspense in scenes and the surprises actually do catch you and make you question what is going on.

It has been awhile since any movie has given me chills and still leaves you with so many questions. As the filmmakers try to answer as many as they can, but even by completion they can't as they have quite a few themselves.

This documentary seems to try to be a look inside some kind of fringe phenomena tickle torture culture. Then through harassment over a simple inquest provokes the reporter/filmmaker to want to investigate more especially when threatened with lawsuits.

Later, We find out that this is not the first time this has happened and seems to be something. Of a normal reaction by this company. Who seem to object way too much that it becomes more of a personal harassment and bullying towards those who the business see's as enemies.

What helps propel this film forward is that it seems to barely ever take a break as in each new scenes there seems to be a revelation. As the reporter tries to get closer and understand this business from all angles. He seems to be introduced to someone new who has been injured or destroyed by this company which gives even more new insights to it's operations and behavior.

It is ultimately a film of fetish and the power of domination.

It's a film that seems to stay in tragedy as very rarely is there any good or happy moments. As the film goes along you hope that this will help expose and take down the conspiracy. 

Still by the end the film still manages to leave you with your mouth hanging open. Even after the film they have been haunted by the subjects who threatened them with lawsuits and infiltrated and hired investigators to keep trying to record and disrupt the movie at screenings.

Grade: B