I began pondering the idea of child birth being sexualized today in class after we viewed Baby Moving. Because I didn’t perceive any of the scenes as being sexual, I was curious as to how it could be.   Tati mentioned that the cuts between the expecting mother’s vagina and her facial expressions is what suggests that the scene is sexual.

I believe it comes down to the way we each read a film. Some insert themselves into the actual scene as if they’re witnessing it first-hand, while others view the scene objectively. I interpreted each cut as an addition to the larger moment that’s taking place (child-birth). I never felt as though I was hovering over the woman’s face as if my eyes were the camera lens, but I was viewing each scene separately to understand the director’s perspective/interpretation as a whole. The sunlight coming through the window shining on the woman’s face and body, her smile and laughter, the way she’s being kissed on, all illustrated nothing more than beauty to me, to represent the idea that child-birth is beautiful, even with the not-so visually pleasing parts. I think the absence of sound is especially important for this analysis because we understand that there’s an extraordinary amount of pain that goes with having a baby. The sound of the woman screaming would have detracted from the moments we’re viewing on screen.