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The internet has done some amazing things for society. It has given us Netflix, Google and new Facebook layouts that no one ever enjoys. It has grown a global community full of rude memes and hurtful YouTube comments. It has also allowed for a degree of anonymity in today's wild and crazy times of web-based anti-conformity and sexual expression. Because, in cyberspace, everybody has a fetish.
In a world where words like "cuckold" and "analingus" are slowly but surely being added to our pop-culture lexicon, Tickled is a documentary that reminds us that some fetishes are still far from normalized and that the internet can be a dangerous place, even with regards to something as seemingly harmless as tickling.
David Farrier is a New Zealand journalist known for tackling offbeat topics. As Farrier puts it, he's made "a career out of looking at the weird and bizarre side of life." So, when he stumbled across a video by Jane O'Brien Media featuring a fit, fully clothed man in bondage being tickled by a slew of other fully clothed athletic dudes, Farrier knew he'd found his next peculiar story.
The documentary goes beyond tickle fights to reveal the scandal that got Farrier nailed with a defamation lawsuit from his subjects.
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After contacting Jane O'Brien Media, Farrier (an openly queer man) was told by representative Debbie Kuhn that the American company had no desire to associate itself with a homosexual. Apparently, Jane O'Brien Media views male-on-male competitive tickling as an "exclusively heterosexual athletic endurance activity." Kuhn then proceeds to send Farrier a series of needlessly bigoted personal and legal attacks.
The homophobic slurs and threats of legal action make two things crystal clear: Jane O'Brien Media has deeper pockets than any tickle-based organization should, and there is no way David Farrier can give up on this story. Thus begins one New Zealander's journey into the underground world of professional tickling.
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To say much more would spoil the movie. Rest assured, though, Tickled is a compelling documentary with all the twists, turns, excitement and reveals of a Chinatown-style neo-noir.
It should also be noted that the documentary does not intentionally shame tickle fetishists. While Farrier and his crew are given free range to respond with shock and intrigue as they learn about the hidden world of tickling, the fetish itself is never the subject of demonization. Tickled is a solid movie. It's also incredibly uncomfortable or intensely erotic.
Critic's Grade: A
See IT: Tickled is rated R. It opens Friday at Fox Tower and Living Room Theaters.
Willamette Week