“Please use caution when trying any techniques used in this movie”. A warning we have seen many a time. What follows makes Tickling Giants what it is. “Speaking out against oppressive regimes may cause side effects such as … loss of appetite, loss of sleep, loss of home, loss of friends, loss of constitutionally guaranteed rights, death, and vaginal dryness,” read the opening lines of the documentary. Through laughter and tears alike, Daily Show producer Sara Taksler takes us on a ride from dream come true to dream crushed below military boots. The documentary chronicles the three year journey of new satire program Al-Bernameg, the first in the Middle East to get an American-style live studio audience. Beginning just like Egypt’s new era in Tahrir Square, Egyptian heart surgeon-turned-political satirist Bassem Youssef is seen walking among protesters from a wide range of social backgrounds. As they get attacked by security forces, a man screams into the microphone against the military and police. From there, the two hour film gives a taste of the successive regimes that ruled Egypt, up until military general Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ascended the presidency throne. The…
