Exclusive // Tickled

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Opening in theatres this weekend, Tickled is a documentary directed by David Farrier and Dylan Reeve. The film, about an investigation into an endurance tickling ring, made waves at this year’s Hot Docs Film Festival, and we had a chance to talk to David about his experience while he was in town doing press for the film.

After stumbling upon a bizarre “competitive endurance tickling” video online, wherein young men are paid to be tied up and tickled, reporter David Farrier reaches out to request a story from the company. But the reply he receives is shocking—the sender mocks Farrier’s sexual orientation and threatens extreme legal action should he dig any deeper. So, like any good journalist confronted by a bully, he does just the opposite: he travels to the hidden tickling facilities in Los Angeles and uncovers a vast empire, known for harassing and harming the lives of those who protest their involvement in these films. The more he investigates, the stranger it gets, discovering secret identities and criminal activity.

“The twists and turns we uncovered in chasing the story were at times exciting, alarming, surprising, scary and hilarious,” says co-director Dylan Reeve. “We never quite knew what was real and what was fake. Were we being played? Was that car following us? Did Jane know where we were? Were we going to end up in court? We never quite knew what was around the corner.”

Tickled opens on June 24 at Toronto’s Bloor Hot Docs Cinema.