Watch Rocks in my Pockets

Rocks in my Pockets is a 2014 animated film directed by Latvian-American filmmaker Signe Baumane. The film takes a serious look at mental illness while imbuing the subject matter with Baumane's signature style of humor and surrealism. The movie tells the story of five women in a Latvian family who struggle with depression and their ongoing attempts to deal with this difficult condition.

The story begins with the director looking back on her own family history and the struggles that her grandmother, mother, aunt, and sister all faced with depression. She then delves deeper into these women's stories and imagination, painting an intricate and imaginative picture of their experiences with mental illness. Each of the five women has their own unique story but all of them are dealing with the same underlying condition in one way or another.

At the heart of the film is the director's grandmother, Anna. Anna is a deeply troubled woman who suffers from severe depression and suicidal thoughts. One of the most striking aspects of Rocks in my Pockets is how it portrays Anna's crisis from her own point of view. We see her visions of herself as a tree that constantly sheds its leaves or as a small creature who is constantly attacked by violent foxes. These images help to convey the intense and overwhelming nature of Anna's depression, which is so much more than just feeling 'down.'

Anna is not the only woman in the film dealing with depression, however. Her two daughters, Inese and Mara, both struggle with the same ailment in their own way. For Inese, this means using alcohol as a means of coping with the overwhelming sense of sadness that can sometimes overcome her. Mara, on the other hand, tries desperately to overcome her depression through religion and the idea that God will eventually save her from her own pain.

The film also delves into the lives of Anna's sister, Joan, and her own daughter, Signe. Joan is portrayed as being somewhat removed from the rest of the family and suffers from her own sort of existential depression. Signe, the director, is the only one of the family members who is able to break free from the cycle of depression and find a way to live a fulfilling and happy life.

Throughout the film, Baumane seamlessly blends the fantastical with the realistic. The film is populated with whimsical creatures like a giant bird that speaks Latvian or tiny, goblin-like beings who torment the women. These images are a way for the director to illustrate the way that depression can make the world seem like a frightening and unwelcoming place. At the same time, she also uses more down-to-earth imagery to show how the women sometimes cope with their pain. For example, Mara is shown continuously knitting in an attempt to stay focused and present in the world.

The film is animated, but the animation style is unique and experimental. Baumane uses a combination of hand-drawn animation, stop-motion, and even some live-action footage, all of which is combined together to create a singular and surreal visual style. The colors and shapes in the film are often vivid and sharp, and there is a real sense of a dream-like quality running throughout the film.

Overall, Rocks in my Pockets is an incredibly powerful movie that looks at the issue of mental illness from a unique and empathetic point of view. It is a film that is both serious and funny, combining heavy and difficult subject matter with a sense of whimsy and imagination. It is one of those movies that can be difficult to watch at times, but ultimately rewards the viewer with a sense of hope and inspiration.

Rocks in my Pockets is a 2014 comedy with a runtime of 1 hour and 28 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.4 and a MetaScore of 78.