5 Questions with Jordan Tetewsky and Joshua Pikovsky ("Bergmensch")
1) What have you been up to since we last spoke in august of last year for "Bolue Vience"?
We finished this film, shot and edited a new short (soon to be released!), wrote a feature, and have a new feature we are developing.
2) What was the initial idea for this project and how did it evolve from there?
Jordan: The initial idea came from a traumatic, recurring nightmare I had about being pressured and guilted into a last minute adult bar mitzvah by my parents. Josh and I used this as a starting off point and fused our family get together experiences growing up to create an ensemble story with deep meaning, and logic puzzles to pore over.
Josh: I don’t really remember anything about this nightmare conversation, but Jordan swears up and down that was how it all started. As I recall, we were thinking about writing a funny scene taking place at an uncomfortable family gathering, and I guess that’s the origin story. I see he’s writing something about deep meaning and logic puzzles now too. I’m not sure what any of that means.
3) What was the biggest challenge in making this film? And the easiest part?
Jordan: The biggest challenge was keeping the vibe good. I don’t have a good vibe unless I’m pretending everything is okay, which I have done. Josh could only make it to two out of the five days on this one. He usually keeps the vibe good. I keep things stressful, for everyone.
Josh: I agree with that for sure. Also, the candles were all CGI, which made for a lot of challenges on set. Trying to imagine what this weird aesthetic was going to look like. Jordan just kept bringing up Barry Lyndon. When I told him that Kubrick used real candles, he got angry. Said if Kubrick was alive today, everything in his movies would be CGI. We agreed having actors be real but everything else CGI was a good compromise to preserve our working relationship.
4) What’s a film you’ve seen recently, new or old, that you really loved and why?
Jordan: I’m still watching Come and See over and over again. I’ve been showing it to all my dates. I’ve been circling back to Andrew Bujalski’s Funny Ha Ha, a very cozy watch. I’m also digging Hubert Adjei-Kontoh’s, and Alex Kavutskiy’s shorts, which I discovered through NoBudge. Hubert’s short At Work is really good. I hope he continues to make films and that we cross paths at some point. I’ve seen a few of Alex Kavutskiy’s pieces and the comedy is excellent. I am looking forward to watching his features.
Josh: Sorcerer, Greaser’s Palace, Old Joy, and Paris, Texas are some that I’ve really enjoyed recently. Also Love Liza, with that great Jim O’Rourke soundtrack.
5) What’s next for you?
We’re trying to land financing for a feature film. We’ve also partnered with Content Noir, an artist collective and production house formed by filmmaker Michael Oshins.
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https://vimeo.com/jordantetewsky | IG: @jordan-tetewsky