Anyone who’s been to a documentary film festival knows it can often turn into a bit of an endurance event. Whilst mostly fascinating, it’s a genre which can take a lot out of you. So, when a light-hearted film comes along, it can be a blessed relief. That’s what David Farrier and Dylan Reeve thought when they started making their new documentary Tickled. What starts out as an amusing premise about a bizarre new craze quickly turns into something much darker.
When David Farrier stumbled upon a Youtube video for Competitive Endurance Tackling, he was instantly hooked. Smelling an interesting story, the entertainment reporter contacted the company responsible for these shoots. His solicitations were met with outright abuse. Along with Dylan Reeve, he decided to dig deeper and make a documentary. What they uncovered was a trail of lies, abuse and intimidation.
Tickled is one of those great documentaries which starts out as one thing and end up veering off in a completely different direction. It’s one of those stories which would be unbelievable if it wasn’t true. In many ways, it’s unique, and whilst there’s no dramatic twist the facts are disturbing enough in themselves. Tickled is an amusing and unnerving documentary which casts the light on a dark and disquieting part of the internet.
Tickled is released on DVD by Studiocanal on Monday.
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