Specimen No. Ⅸ | Written by Maya Lee

From the perspective of the film’s title, Metempsychosis—that is, the theory of the transmigration of souls. The butterfly represents the process of shedding one’s current, worn-out physical form and transitioning into a new life. Here, the metamorphosis of the butterfly signifies not merely biological growth, but a transformation of the soul that can only be attained by passing through the process of decay known as death.

The emergence of the butterfly in the film visually concretizes this philosophical subtext. Just as a caterpillar must endure the destructive ordeal of liquefying its entire tissue within the chrysalis, the protagonist’s consciousness must dissolve the husks of past memories and the physical body to finally spread the wings of a new life. The afterimage of the butterfly floating across the screen evokes the image of a soul endlessly oscillating between hatching and perishing, unable to find a place to settle. ⁋