Hearing the familiar New Zealand accent at the start of Tickled, I expected a lighthearted dive into competitive tickling underpinned by dry Kiwi humour. At first, it delivered just that. But the 90-minute documentary quickly veered somewhere far darker, catching me off guard as quirky curiosity gave way to an infuriating pursuit of justice.

Films where documentarians insert themselves as central figures often feel self-indulgent and hollow, yet Tickled strikes a rare balance. David Farrier uses his own involvement to anchor the story without ever overshadowing the bizarre world he exposes.

The premise starts simply enough: Farrier spots an absurd online community and reaches out to learn more. But when an elusive company representative named “Jane” immediately threatens legal action – lobbing vicious insults about his competence and sexuality – intrigue turns into indignation. That unearned arrogance was the hook and I stayed glued to the screen because I needed to see that bullying answered.

What follows is a jaw-dropping global investigation exposing the staggering damage one person can inflict from behind a keyboard. Farrier approaches the subculture with genuine empathy – exactly what you want from a reporter entering an unknown beat blind. Yet the reality behind the cheap videos turns grim. What began as an odd internet fetish unravels into a systematic machine of coercion and manipulation aimed at young, vulnerable men.

At its core, Tickled succeeds by framing an ugly truth through the lens of a classic whodunit. The narrative gap between Farrier’s discoveries and our own is timed to perfection, letting the viewer unravel the mystery at the same pace as the directors. Unlike the usual true-crime docos, this film maintains a deceptively breezy surface tone that makes the escalating stakes hit twice as hard. Co-directed by Dylan Reeve, the storytelling hits its stride whenever Farrier shares newly uncovered files with his interviewees – shifting the film from a straightforward exposé into real-time moments of victims finally understanding who orchestrated their misery.

The unresolved nature of the climax hits hard because it mirrors reality: wealthy, litigious bullies frequently weaponise the legal system to avoid consequences. While these young men were left carrying the lasting stigma of coercion and youthful mistakes, the architect behind the operation insulated himself with family money and constant (fake) court filings.

However, it is precisely that refusal to offer a neat closure that makes this film endure. A decade on from its 2016 release, Tickled remains a captivating and modern example of brilliant investigative storytelling. It challenges our natural manner to laugh off weird corners of the internet, showing just how easily quirky curiosities can mask calculated cruelty. Sharp, compelling, and beautifully paced, it is worthy of your time.

Postscript: Following the film’s release, central figure David D’Amato died in 2017 at the age of 55 from health complications. In a bitter final irony, a man who inflicted lasting misery through intimidation managed to dodge formal accountability right to the end.