Ivy Tickles Her Mother

[Amnesiac]

There is something to be said for realism in film and video, but usually the distinction between them is wrought with mitigating circumstances.

In the case of Ivy Tickles Her Mother, realism tends to be the weak point; not due to its absence, but because of its overwhleming presence.

Aesthetically, the video is shot primarily handheld in low lighting with grainy resolution that goes into the Dogma 95 quality which makes it a bit unnerving for those used to tripod shots or three-quarter composition, but has its purpose in the frenetic action of the people.

However, the video fails in its ability to entertain and satisfy. Ivy's mother endlessly attempts to distract her daughter with such ham-handed protests as "You're grounded" and "Mommy loves you" and even a more disturbing "Mommy hurts"; begging in lees is desirable, but whining is less so. Her ticklishness also seems to come in go in five-second bouts that require lengthy recovery periods to restore sensitivity, so the momentum of the session is constantly being interrupted.

Ivy herself is a fairly sadistic tickler and very enthusiastic, but her zeal overwhelms her precision and her technique, leaving a series of very rushed and very crude (and somewhat ineffective) tickling assaults with assortments of brushes that are as useful in action as they would be sitting on a table. Her attacks themselves are not very coordinated and Ivy is obviously consumed with her feat than drawing out the tension on her subject. Shame for such a cute little girl.

Overall, this video is a treat for its unintentional Cassavetean/von Trier-esque visual quality, but has little substance and quality to give it substantial merit beyond aesthetic consideration. The tickling is weak, the session chaotic and uncoordinated, and the action very repetitive, to the point where you would be hard pressed to tell one eight-minute portion from another.

Worth borrowing, but not purchasing.

 

[Casper33]

That had to be one of the more interesting reviews I have read on this site. As much as I agree with your assessment on the style of direction, I feel the idea of a mother being tickled by her daughter was groundbreaking when this video came out. What makes MT Productions so good is not the quality of the production, it is the realism they bring to the tickling. I also feel that Ivy did a good job with her sadistic side to keep her tickling playful yet tormenting, hence the breaks. All in all I would give this video a 7 out of 10

 

[Oddjob0226]

What I enjoyed quite about about the video were the pre- & post- discussions with mother & daugher about tickling and their experinces.... daughter describing how she was tickled terribly when younger - but with glee and enthusiasn in the discussion! The trepidation of the mother in what she is about to undergo, yet her willingness to proceede. The joy later of the daughter describing how much FUN it was to tickle her once tormenting authority figure. And how the mother not only says that she is going to tickle the daughter, but, in fact, "It's going to be torture" and briefly simulates what would indeed be a tormenting tickle sesssion. One can almost see it as Best Boy / Best Man or Brother's Keeper done with a prettier "cast" and narrowcasted toward our genre. It even had a Grey Gardens "feel" without the unpleasant confrontation and melt down near the end.


(I would have loved to have seen some sequels, of course... 'Mother Tickles Ivy', Father Tickles Ivy, Ivy Tickles Father', 'Mother and Her Best Friend Tickle Ivy', on and on, similar to the better known Broccoli/Saltzman series of films. It seemed that the two subjects would have been on board for this.....)

As far as the video resolution and quality is concerned, the tape was made at a time when the Avid Media Composer -which would have done absolute wonders with the material in full 1:1 resolution (or a high AVR depending on the version) with speed and ease- was still not in common use, either at a lower end post house, or, almost certainly, for use in home editing.

I do agree with the assessment of the tickling action. It seemed rushed and the tickler was unfocused. While she enjoyed tormenting her subject, there was a lack of concentration on that torment. Would have liked to have seen both combined. Also, a little talk by the tormetor, a tauntingnes would have added to the feel of the piece. I would also back you up on the "whining" aspect.... I find it disengaging. Bill and L and Hawaiian Sand Trap Tickle have similar problems; both ticklees seemly turn into sailers or truckdrivers and the dialouge (or monologue in the case of Bill and L) becomes remniscent to that of Blue Velvet or even Patti Rocks.

But I did buy the video, pretty much on the concept alone, and I still pop it into the VCR on occasion.