Rocks in My Pockets 2014

In the turbulent backdrop of the late 1920s, Anna, a charming and educated young woman from Latvia, finds herself enchanted by an audacious entrepreneur, who is 30 years her senior. Their love story soon spirals into a tale of possessiveness; with marriage, a fierce jealousy emerges. To shield Anna from the eyes of other men, he secludes her deep in the forest, where she sacrifices her freedom and gives birth to eight children. As the Great Depression casts a shadow over their lives, the couple struggles to maintain their existence amidst the chaos around them.

With the onset of World War II, Latvia faces tumultuous invasions from the Soviets, then the Nazis, before succumbing to Soviet control yet again. Throughout these tribulations, Anna stands resolute—her strength unwavering as she navigates through the harsh realities of life, nurturing her children and imparting invaluable survival skills derived from the untamed wilderness surrounding them. Despite her courage, an unseen turmoil brews within her, hinting at a deeper distress that threatens to surface.

Years later, Signe, a young artist, is compelled to unravel the mystery of her grandmother’s fate. She questions her father, “How did my grandmother die?” but his elusive answers only deepen her curiosity. Along with their seven siblings, he avoids the subject completely, heightening Signe’s suspicions that Anna may have taken her own life. Mental illness discreetly weaves through family narratives, and Signe, battling her own depression, finds herself enveloped in somber thoughts. Her struggle culminates in a harrowing four-month stay in a Soviet mental institution due to her suicidal ideations.

The shadows of madness creep further as three of Signe’s female cousins also confront their own psychological battles. This raises a haunting question—could there be an invisible thread linking Anna to her granddaughters? Confronting both the stigma and the ghosts of mental illness, Signe embarks on a profound journey into her depression, determined to face the family demons that have loomed over them.