Before watching Tickling Giants I had no backstory on the “Egyptian Jon Stuart” Bassam Youssef. The documentary was so incredibly made, and I loved how they incorporated the story of Bassam Youssef but the story of the lives that he influence by starting this satirical comedy station. I found myself almost wanting more backstory on each of the workers in the documentary, even though I realize how that would not be feasible.
Another aspect of the documentary that especially caught my attention was how they introduced the animator of the documentary and the show initially as a fan and walked you through his journey and showed how the animator himself was involved, or at least his are was involved, in the final documentary. The animation allowed for a break from the film and while gave some comedic relief, allowed for the audience to dial down the intensity of the film at times.
When I left the screening I couldn’t stop thinking about one thing. The timeline of this film. It began in 2011 and was not completed until 2016. It was daunting even to me, a spectator thinking retrospectively, to imagine embarking on this journey of telling one man’s story and creating such an inspiring and impactful film. How was she to know when she began filming Bassam that all of these events would transpire? How did she know when to end it? I found myself at times during the documentary expecting an ending but just when I thought the story was over, it continued and another event/layer/complication arise. That being said, I wasn’t wanting the film to end, but I just thought a conclusion was coming. I kind of side tracked, but it just amazed me, the commitment she had to telling this story to it’s entirety and the following of one man, not knowing where the story will go but realizing there was a story there. It was and is impressive and inspiring.
I had the same experience when watching!! I thought the conclusion of the film was happening so many times, that when it actually happened I was sure that wasn’t the ending. Like you said, I wasn’t really waiting/wanting for it to end, it just seemed to wrap up naturally at points in terms of the arc of the story.