The moment New Zealand journalist David Farrier discovered a video of “competitive endurance tickling,” he knew he had to write about it. As a pop culture reporter, Farrier has built a career on uncovering curious and quirky corners of humanity, with an archive that includes profiles of the so-called Donkey Lady, Justin Bieber and survivalists who eat live frogs. The idea of fully clothed, straight and attractive young men being tied to a bed and tickled by other fully clothed, straight and attractive young men in competitive and nonsexual ways is about as perplexing and hilarious as a story could be, right?
But when Farrier reached out to Jane O’Brien Media, the production company that casts and funds these tickling videos, he began receiving homophobic, harassing letters and legal threats. He quickly discovered that the world of endurance tickling wasn’t all just giggles and games — something, or someone, far more sinister was running the show. And Farrier wasn’t the only target of these aggressive and constant attacks — dozens of people have been harassed and publicly shamed after either participating in or investigating the “sport.”
Throughout the course of Tickled, as Farrier continues to push back and ask more questions, the documentary becomes a dark and fantastic example of what can happen when one curious person begins pulling on a thread just to see what unravels. A story of deceit, bullying, crime, power and wealth is slowly revealed through interviews with lawyers, journalists, MMA fighters and tickling “recruiters,” and it writhes and wiggles more unpredictably than a body in the grip of a tickle attack. But be warned: Despite Farrier’s fearless attempts to uncover the whole truth, your own curiosity won’t end when the documentary does.
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