“Jordan Tetewsky and Joshua Pikovsky offered in Berman's March a counterpoint as powerful as it was delicate to the imagination of modern self-made men. Charlie, who makes a living by working on construction sites, chooses to join his old high school friends for a trip to the forest. The problem is that his comrades have become big guys who are experts in barbecue and stock speculation. Without demonstrative heaviness, the film manages to finely incorporate its social criticism into the story of withered friendships, in the wake of Old Joy by Kelly Reichardt: everything indicates that the gap between classes does not fall from the sky, but depends on a personal responsibility. his cluster of millennials has chosen to become what it is, to embrace body and soul the ideology of winning; Charlie chooses to set sail in front of the display of their comfortable but undesirable life.”

— Élie Raufaste, Jan 11th, 2024

“It could be the starting point for a horror film: a young man named Charlie is invited by old acquaintances to join them in their house, located in the heart of the woods. He then embarks in his car towards an unknown destination. But the soft veil of the image in Berman's March brings a completely different sensitivity and quickly, we wonder about this mysterious place where the soul can be found. Somewhere behind the liver, they say? Should the hero of the film then drink more water?

Americans Joshua Pikovsky and Jordan Tetewsky sign their second feature film and return to competition at the Enrevues Belfort Festival after Hannah Ha Ha . They are once again interested in the margins of society, in the somewhat lost people that the protagonist (himself a somewhat loser worker) meets on the road or at the gas station, while the car radio broadcasts his crackling chant. Banal encounters, a few oddballs, but the film has the good taste of not playing the picturesque card. Pikovsky and Tetewsky demonstrate a generosity without sentimentality and the film is largely served, both in its writing and its direction, by its simplicity.

It's a film about losers, it's also a film about winners. The hero's comrades, obviously lost sight of for some time, are undoubtedly part of the second clan. They are wealthier, take trips “to Europe” without having to further specify their destination and can make their guest sleep outside without feeling remorse. The film convincingly depicts this muffled social violence, these touches of suspicion and pettiness. Charlie finds himself a spectator of discussions that are foreign to him, but the film does not aim to look down on its characters. Berman's March does not deliver a great lesson and rather skillfully thwarts the clichés of the beneficial return to nature.

During his journey, Charlie comes across signs with political slogans and encouragement punctuated with exclamation points. But the young man moves forward, without really knowing how the others do it. This bittersweet purity and diary sensitivity make this pocket-sized journey a touching experience.”

— Nicolas Bardot, November 24th, 2023

“In Berman’s March, Jordan Tetewsky and Joshua Pilowsky pursue their sharp investigation of the losers of America, which delighted us in Hanna Ha Ha. True to their characteristic nonchalance, they have become even more radical in their criticism of crypto-addicts and socially overachieving winners: unlike Hannah’s yuppie older brother in Hannah Ha Ha, they can no longer be saved at the eleventh hour. Charlie’s disillusionment when confronted by his old friend’s transformation rather reminds us of the placid despair of Bresson’s characters. We know rather little about the protagonist’s social background and that of the lovable people he meets on his journey to his friends’ chalet, since the filmmakers refuse to use any sociological construct. Utterly non-naturalistic, Berman’s March offers a witty, winding tale of sorrow and introduces us to lost characters living in the service stations and on the edge of fiction.

— Paola Raiman, Sept 01, 2023

“Berman's March marked the return to Belfort of Jordan Tetewsky and Joshua Pikovsky, just one year after the presentation of Hannah Ha Ha . This time the title no longer evokes the beginnings of mumblecore (Funny Ha Ha by Andrew Bujalski) but Sherman's March, the fabulous filmed diary by Ross McElwee which we will show, happy coincidence, in a few days at the Critikat film club. Beyond the homage and the road movie motif, however, the film looks more like a remake of Old Joy by Kelly Reichardt: Charlie Berman, a simple construction worker, crosses a handful of states to join three old friends from high school in a chalet. After the joy of reunion, pure and overwhelming, cruelty sets in; Charlie no longer has much to do with these guys who only talk about financial investments and bachelor parties. The duo of filmmakers films with great meticulousness this disintegration of friendship marked by a series of small political and moral differences. Soon isolated within the group, Charlie is also isolated in the frame, where his three friends are often filmed together. In a scene where he takes care of the barbecue, just a few meters from his friends, he almost becomes a voyeur, even a kind of invisible presence from which nothing escapes. The acuity with which the feelings of this mysterious character are examined allows the film not to fall short of its Reichardtian model. 

— Marin Gérard, Dec 19th, 2023

“An image shattering journey from a teenage life to a more adult awareness”

- Emmanuel Abela, (listen to her full interview here)