Spaces of Self and Madness: Autobiography, Autofiction, and Animation in Signe Baumane's "Rocks in My Pockets" and "My Love Affair with Marriage"

Abstract

This article analyses the two feature-length films by Signe Baumane, Rocks in My Pockets (2014) and My Love Affair with Marriage (2022). For this purpose, this article discusses theories of autofiction and its representation in different forms and media and pays particular attention to the potential of animation to represent fictionalized selves. Drawing on genre and gender theories, as well as the study of memory and self, this article shows how Baumane dissects the constructedness of female and feminine selves and criticizes the oppressive nature of the individual and collective discourses around mental health and womanhood.

Keywords

• Signe Baumane
• autofiction
• animation
• gender
• mental health