Reimagining the body: Speculative reincarnation and science fiction in Samsara (2021) by Huang Hsin-Chien

This article explores Huang Hsin-Chien’s virtual reality (VR) film Samsara (2021) and its investigation of a speculative futurity and alternative configuration of the human body in virtual worlds. The film is conceived as a journey inspired
by Buddhist philosophy and science fiction. In this article, themes of futurity, speculation, mutation and becoming are then addressed in relation to theorists such as David Lapoujade, Steven Shaviro, Rosi Braidotti and Elizabeth Grosz. These themes are contrasted with a spiritual understanding of reincarnation and rebirth in Buddhism to better understand the film’s aesthetic and illustrate how speculation and spirituality both influence its narrative and its visuals. The article contends that Samsara creates a rethinking and re-envisioning of the relationship between speculation and reincarnation through a reconfiguration of corporeality in VR. The article addresses the following questions: How does Huang’s use of VR technology contribute to the development of a speculative aesthetic that imagines alternative human and non-human configurations and how is it connected to its exploration of reincarnation and rebirth?