Tickling Giants

2016

Documentary

5
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Certified Fresh 100% · 24 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 91% · 250 ratings
IMDb Rating 8.2/10 10 1740 1.7K

woman director

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Plot summary

The Arab Spring in Egypt: From a dictator to free elections, back to a dictatorship. One comedy show united the country and tested the limits of free press. This is the story of Bassem Youssef, a cardiologist turned comedian, the Jon Stewart of Egypt, and his show "The Show".

Director

Sara Taksler Photo
Sara Taksler

Top cast

Jon Stewart Photo
Jon Stewart as Self
Bassem Youssef Photo
Bassem Youssef as Self
Khaled Mansour Photo
Khaled Mansour as Self
Shadi Alfons Photo
Shadi Alfons as Self
720p.WEB 1080p.WEB
1.02 GB
1280*720
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 53 min
Seeds 12
2.09 GB
1920*1080
English 5.1
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 53 min
Seeds 14

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by JvH48 8 / 10

Informative movie showing how the climate for satire in Egypt changed over the years. Though showing hope at first, the final takeaway message is depressing

Saw this at the Leiden International Film Festival 2016 (LIFF, website: leidenfilmfestival.nl/en), where it was part of a program Humor in Islamic Countries, in addition to The Lizard (Kamal Tabrizi, 2004) shown earlier that day. Luckily, there was an introductory speech that explained some aspects we would easily have overlooked otherwise, some of the advantages of a festival above a "normal" screening in a cinema around the corner. A few weeks earlier, before and after the screening of Clash (original title: Eshtebak) at the Film Fest Ghent 2016, we learned from director Mohamed Diab that humor is a normal vehicle for Egyptians to escape from bitter circumstances, even at funerals or other sad moments. Knowing that, both Clash and Tickling Giants leave us with the impression that satire is Egyptian history for now. Humor may still serve its purpose in-house, but it cannot be used anymore against authorities or governmental institutions.Back to Tickling Giants: Spanning several years, it gave a good impression how the political climate in Egypt changed, and how little elbowing room there was eventually left for satire or critical remarks against authority. Opponents of Youssef's talk show argued that it was a feeble time for upcoming democracy in Egypt, that trust in authority was better not disturbed. In other words, later there will come more room for free speech. We cannot have it now, certainly not at this very moment with a fresh democracy under construction.The TV network broke under the pressure and even sued the presenter (cannot imagine why, but they said he broke his contract), though the president stated on TV that this premature ending was not his doing. Who are we to believe?? This is certainly the morale of this movie, even if we refuse to see conspiracies all around. We know of countries where you can be locked away nowadays as a journalist because of doing what you are paid to do. It is something we previously thought was typical for underdeveloped third-world countries. That is not true anymore.
Reviewed by sherifhusseinezzat 9 / 10

The Arab Spring's story told through the story of one man

Tickling Giant is a captivating, intense and authentic experience of what it means to rebel, about the consequences, what the stakes really are, and how the fresh wind of change is received by both the crooks and the oppressed. It is not the story of Bassem Youssef, for Bassem is only a satirist not a leader; it is a story of a voice retrieved, fought for with blood, clenched onto, and then ultimately lost. It shows, with vividness and authenticity, both the promise of the Arab spring and its eventual failure, touching on the reasons for that and showing the timeline of all of it happening in slow and inexorable progression. It is a must-see for those who are interested in the story of the Arab Spring , for those who want to understand what it means to live in a third-world country where authoritarianism and ignorance prevail, and even for those who just want to know how fascism works and how to spot its warning signs. It's all of this and more, told in the context of Bassem Youssef's world.As an Egyptian, I watched myself laugh, smile and cry throughout the film as I lived all of it again.
Reviewed by gogoschka-1 9 / 10

The Feather Is Mightier Than The Sword

This documentary is more thrilling and touching than any movie I've seen in 2017. It's the story of a charismatic, courageous man who decided to take on the mighty and the powerful with humor.If you've ever heard and believed the expression "the pen is mightier than the sword", you'll find it is even more true when you understand the literal (original) meaning of pen is feather. For the sword-bearers in this film seem to be even more afraid of a tickling feather than they are of the written word.Humor and laughter are the most disarming weapons against dictators, but sadly, the times where at least the fool was allowed to speak the truth to the king seem to be long gone.This film tells one of the most captivating stories I've come across in a long time, and I highly recommend it to any film fan, but in particular to fans of political satire and intelligent comedy. 9 stars out of 10.Favorite films: IMDb.com/list/mkjOKvqlSBs/Lesser-Known Masterpieces: imdb.com/list/ls070242495/Favorite Low-Budget and B-Movies: imdb.com/list/ls054808375/Favorite TV-Shows reviewed: imdb.com/list/ls075552387/
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