A Film Night and a Crisis

Happening

This subplot traces how an ordinary film outing becomes the setting for Annie Duchesne’s sudden medical crisis.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

Choosing the Film Choosing the Film from "Happening". Choosing the Film An Ordinary Plan Annie Duchesne goes with O to a film-club screening of Battleship Potemkin.

Choosing the Film from "Happening". Choosing the Film An Ordinary Plan Annie Duchesne goes with O to a film-club screening of Battleship Potemkin.

Choosing the Film An Ordinary Plan Annie Duchesne goes with O to a film-club screening of Battleship Potemkin. The outing belongs to the ordinary student routine that continues around her. A Body in Waiting She carries the probe and waits for the process to advance. The contrast between public entertainment and private expectation makes the evening unstable.

Pain During the Screening Pain During the Screening from "Happening". Pain During the Screening Increasing Spasms As the film continues, Annie Duchesne experiences increasingly frequent spasms.

Pain During the Screening from "Happening". Pain During the Screening Increasing Spasms As the film continues, Annie Duchesne experiences increasingly frequent spasms.

Pain During the Screening Increasing Spasms As the film continues, Annie Duchesne experiences increasingly frequent spasms. She holds her breath and tries to follow the screen, but loses the story. A Disturbing Image A shot of meat covered with worms becomes the last image she sees. The film’s visual language collides with her bodily crisis.

Racing Back Racing Back from "Happening". Racing Back Leaving the Room Annie Duchesne rushes from the screening to the dormitory as the pain intensifies.

Racing Back from "Happening". Racing Back Leaving the Room Annie Duchesne rushes from the screening to the dormitory as the pain intensifies.

Racing Back Leaving the Room Annie Duchesne rushes from the screening to the dormitory as the pain intensifies. The evening’s public setting gives way to a private emergency. O Follows O returns later and tries to help her breathe through the spasms. The two remain uncertain about what the pain means or how soon it will end.

The Bathroom Expulsion The Bathroom Expulsion from "Happening". The Bathroom Expulsion Sudden Birth Annie Duchesne rushes to the bathroom and expels the fetus.

The Bathroom Expulsion from "Happening". The Bathroom Expulsion Sudden Birth Annie Duchesne rushes to the bathroom and expels the fetus.

The Bathroom Expulsion Sudden Birth Annie Duchesne rushes to the bathroom and expels the fetus. She sees it hanging from a cord and carries it back to her room. An Unplanned Scene The crisis transforms a shared dormitory into the setting of an improvised birth. The film outing has become an event neither student can interpret.

From Film to Hospital From Film to Hospital from "Happening". From Film to Hospital Blood Loss Annie Duchesne begins hemorrhaging after she and O cut the cord.

From Film to Hospital from "Happening". From Film to Hospital Blood Loss Annie Duchesne begins hemorrhaging after she and O cut the cord.

From Film to Hospital Blood Loss Annie Duchesne begins hemorrhaging after she and O cut the cord. The attempt to manage the situation alone fails as towels quickly become soaked. A Night Divided The doctor’s arrival starts a second phase of the night: exposure, judgment, and hospital transfer. The ordinary student evening is permanently changed.

January 20, 1964

Evening, January 20, 1964

Late evening, January 20, 1964

Late night, January 20–21, 1964

After midnight, January 21, 1964