On the night of February 15, 2001, Sonia Reich fled her home in Skokie, Illinois, insisting that someone was trying to kill her — to “put a bullet in [her] head,” she told anyone who would listen. It would take a year for her son, Chicago Tribune journalist Howard Reich, to understand why she was running the streets of Skokie, fearing for her life. Prisoner of Her Past, directed by Gordon Quinn, tracks Howard’s journey across the United States and Eastern Europe to discover why his mother believes – to this day – that the world has conspired to try to execute her. As Howard eventually learned, Sonia has late-onset Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a little-known but extremely debilitating illness that has pushed her into the realm of delusion. At the same time, however, Sonia remains fully aware of her surroundings, totally alert to the world, thoroughly cognizant of the present.

Dr. Michael A. Riff, Director of the Gross Center, will introduce the film and conduct a Q&A after the film.