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REVIEW: CPH:DOX 2020 – «Pieces of Rebecca»
An inspirational, real to the core documentary on setting up your own business and remaining a sane human trying. «Pieces of Rebecca» (original title: Rebeccas Rum) follows a well-known Danish entrepreneur in the first year of creating her motley vintage fashion empire.
Photo courtesy of Sarah Buthmann
Amid the pandemic outbreak, one of the biggest international documentary film festivals CPH:DOX provided an alternative, in the form of real life stories to watch online. Although the experience was very different to the annual hustle and bustle of the Copenhagen-based festival, renting out this film to watch in your headphones was somewhat therapeutic. Grit Tind Mikkelsen’s doc was pleasant to experience in solitude, making it an altogether personal and intimate watch.
Movie stills and feature image courtesy of Grit Tind Mikkelsen
«Pieces of Rebecca», as the title might indicate, is a cinematic portrait of one Rebecca Vera Stahnke – an all-round renaissance woman behind the waste-free concept Veras Vintage and Veras Market in Copenhagen. The filmmaker follows Rebecca through the first year of Veras» existence. As she makes the transition from being an established project manager in the big fashion world, to bringing to life a completely new idea all by herself, we get to see the unabridged version of what being a CEO of a fledgling business truly is like.
““As Veras grows larger and the demands greater, [Rebecca] realizes that in order to survive she will need to rearrange her own reality. […] This film goes beneath the show of it all and portrays the harsh frame of reality for a courageous woman in a monumental year of her life.””
Documentaries have a way of stripping that sugarcoating off establishments we admire and revealing the blood, sweat and tears that go into putting together the pieces of a crazy dream you deeply believe in. Rebecca struggles to find herself within her profession, which is all-consuming. Mikkelsen’s montage and subtle storytelling gives us hints of how much there is to be sacrificed: relationships, human contact, sleep, even your own apartment. There’s so much risk involved that we don’t see on the daily – even when you meet the bubbly, energetic Rebecca in person.
Photo courtesy of Rebecca Vera Stahnke
Mikkelsen’s depiction of her is considerate and delicate – there’s a female connection and understanding between the two creators that can be sensed through the screen. The build-up of stress and nervous smoke inhaling is interwoven with calming shots of waves crashing into the shore. It’s a story told unapologetically, the whole truth laid out. The triumphs, the ups and downs and the continuous struggle to give your dream a meaning, make for a very inspiring picture we should all see.
You can rent out «Pieces of Rebecca» here, and English subtitles are available.
Would you like to learn more about Rebecca, and Veras Vintage? Read our exclusive interview on style and sustainability in fashion >>>