Signe Baumane and five women in her family battle with depression and madness.
Director: Signe Baumane
Writer: Signe Baumane
Stars: Signe Baumane | See full cast and crew »
Storyline
Latvia, the late 1920s. Anna, a young woman, pretty and educated, falls
in love with an adventurous entrepreneur, 30 years her senior. But with
marriage comes great jealousy, and the entrepreneur hides Anna away in
the forest, far from other men, where she bears him eight children. The
Great Depression hits them hard. Then Latvia is overrun with invasions
by the Soviets, then the Nazis, then the Soviets once again. Anna is a
pillar of strength, defying the hardships, raising her young, teaching
them survival secrets of the forest. But something inside her is
terribly wrong. Years later, Signe, a young artist, asks her father,
"how did my grandmother die?" Her father is evasive. His seven siblings
are evasive, as well. Signe strongly suspects that Anna committed
suicide. Clues of mental illness had always leaked through the family
stories. Signe suffers from depression herself. Her suicidal fantasies
get her locked away for four months in a Soviet mental institute. Three
of her cousins...
User Reviews
Mental illness is a hot
button issue these days. We pretend to address it but if we're being
honest, we continue to sweep it under the rug. In a brand new film by
writer/director Signe Baumane, we follow the true story of her familiar
heritage, specifically with undiagnosed bouts of severe depression.
Created in an animation of mixed media forms, Rocks In My Pockets is a
visually stunning masterpiece. Baumane narrates each individual story,
illustrating the ignorance and fragility of those who "feel too much."
There is an aura of bedtime story or campfire lore while in the same
instance, education and awareness being brought to life. The uniqueness
of the animation allows Baumane to take visual liberties in her
storytelling. It's like watching one long, extremely vivid dream. It is
an important film in a time where far too many people are being over or
under medicated. It may be a gateway to a greater understanding and
tolerance of what we do yet have a grasp on. Most likely, each one of us
is directly affected by mental illness. It is a beautiful conversation
starter.
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