Director Signe Baumane’s animated film about her family history and mental illness exemplifies how difficult it is to fight what’s been so sewn in to a family bloodline. While inherent traits and gifts can be passed down genetically, mental illness can also carry with it a vicious legacy that can be carried in to every generation. Baumane’s “Rocks in my Pockets” confronts a topic all too familiar, in which she tries to piece together the history of the women in her family, and how mental illness affected them, since she feels the pressing weight of the illness on her shoulders. “Rocks in my Pockets” feels more like a power point presentation more than a film.
Baumane pulls triple duty with directing, writing, and animating the story of her great grandmother that became a black stain on a family’s own pride. Baumane was unfortunately forced to endure a family that viewed mental illness as a weakness, and she very well contemplates how trying to find a rational end to a terrible illness while being perceived as weak or dumb is an immense obstacle to overcome. Baumane’s animation is very much in the spirit of Bill Plympton, where she uses great expression and surrealism to depict the insanity of certain moments of in her life, and the lives of the women before her. The animation is apt for what’s a film about suffering and women attempting to persevere, while also victims to their sickness. Perhaps the most gripping tale is that of her cousin whose beauty and school work injected such pressure onto her, she eventually had an emotional breakdown.
The pain and senselessness of depression casts a shadow during even the lightest moments, as Baumane depicts the gut wrenching timeline with enthusiasm and an admirable sense of charisma. Baumane has a love for her family, but she also doesn’t respect the way they treat mental illness, and her depictions of them make if abundantly clear. I’m not sure how about feel about the finale which feels abrupt, and a bit too simplistic when you consider a complex disease like depression, but for a woman trying to outrun her family’s demons, Baumane is ahead of the game by recognizing it, and choosing to tackle it head on and not let it defeat her. “Rocks in My Pockets” is a fine animated amalgam of genres that deserves to be seen by those cursed with mental illness or have been cursed with the knowledge that those we loved fell victim and took their own lives.
Now in Limited Release in NY, and Opening in LA on September 12th.