二十一世紀數位影像席捲全球影壇，對世界各地的導演影響甚巨。這對以「緩慢電影」著稱的蔡明亮亦不例外，2012年可謂其數位元年，迄今他共發表了以數位攝影機拍攝的十部長短不一的「慢走長征」系列作品（由《無色》（2012）至《無所住》（2024））。爾後，兩部重要且截然不同的影片《家在蘭若寺》（2017）與《日子》（2020），展現不同於以往作品的美學強度與敘事形態。前者為斥資超過五千萬臺幣的虛擬實境電影，透過一台擁有二十四個鏡頭且具三百六十度的攝影機拍攝，並藉由雲端演算與軟體繪編，彰顯一種交織著虛擬與現實、加工與人工、介面與現場的長鏡頭新構型。由於數位後勤學的緣故，蔡氏素來令人讚譽不絕的長鏡頭美學被空間蒙太奇逆襲；與此同時，他結合水、光影與演員的場面調度體現影形力的潛能寓意。後者製作成本不到一千萬臺幣，則先以花費數年時間拍攝的紀錄影像為素材，後以虛造敘事情節，構建劇情長片。如果就這兩部數位影片之於蔡明亮作品研究而言，具備三個關鍵意義：首先，索引與動畫雙棲於緩慢電影，《家在蘭若寺》的空間蒙太奇與影形力乃超卓構成。其次，紀錄與虛構共構共生，生成《日子》兼具後劇情與新極簡主義影片表徵。第三，《家在蘭若寺》與《日子》由電影院至美術館的跨界實踐，不啻彰顯蔡明亮對於電影作為藝術的擴延行動，更直指藝術與生命之間無所不在亦無時不在的思想理念。因此，由《家在蘭若寺》至《日子》，蔡明亮以實探虛且以虛襯實的電影技藝，盡顯其橫亙在索引與動畫、空間蒙太奇與影形力、紀錄與虛構、後劇情與新極簡主義，及電影院與美術館之間的雙重生命，塑造出緩慢電影的多態性，並對跨域影史乃至數位影片編撰學提供了新的啟示。

In the 21st century, digital imagery has swept the global film industry, significantly influencing directors worldwide, including Tsai Ming-liang, renowned for his “slow cinema” style emphasizing long takes, minimal dialogue, and a meditative pace. 2012 marked a significant shift in Tsai’s career –the beginning of his digital era. Since then, he has released ten works of varying lengths as part of his “Slow Walk, Long March” series, shot exclusively with digital cameras. These films range from “No Form” (2012), which is a contemplative exploration of form and emptiness, to “Abiding Nowhere” (2024), a deeper exploration of transient states and the fluidity of identity. The move to digital technology allowed Tsai to explore new aesthetic possibilities and narrative forms. Moreover, his transition from analog to digital was not merely a change in medium but a profound evolution in cinematic language. Two distinct and significant films from this period, “The Deserted” (2017) and “Days” (2020), exemplify this evolution, each showcasing a different aesthetic intensity and narrative form compared to his earlier works. “The Deserted,” a groundbreaking virtual reality film with a budget exceeding fifty million TWD, represents a radical departure from Tsai’s previous works. Shot with a 360-degree camera equipped with twenty-four lenses, this film immerses the viewer in a fully realized virtual environment. Through advanced cloud computing and sophisticated software editing, Tsai reveals a new long-take configuration that interweaves the virtual with the real, the processed with the artificial, and the interface with the on-site. The film’s innovative use of digital technology challenges traditional cinematic boundaries, offering a fresh perspective on the relationship between the viewer and the viewed. Due to the complexities of digital logistics, the long-take aesthetics for which Tsai is renowned have been countered by spatial montage. This shift allows Tsai to explore the potential of cinematic expression in ways previously unattainable, combining elements such as water, light, shadows, and actor positioning to evoke a profound sense of place and presence. In contrast, “Days” (2020) is a much more intimate and understated work, with a production cost of less than ten million TWD. The film initially utilizes documentary footage accumulated over several years, which Tsai then incorporates into a fabricated narrative to construct a feature-length drama. The film’s narrative is sparse, focusing instead on the textures of everyday life and the passage of time. “Days” reflects Tsai’s ongoing interest in the intersection between documentary and fiction, where the boundaries between the real and the imaginary are continually blurred. The film embodies both post-narrative and neo-minimalist film, eschewing traditional storytelling in favor of a more experiential approach. Examining these two digital films in the context of Tsai Ming-liang’s body of work reveals three key points: Firstly, the coexistence of indexicality and animation in slow cinema, with “The Deserted” showcasing remarkable spatial montage and cinematic expression. Secondly, the symbiotic relationship between documentary and fiction in the creation of “Days” which embodies both post-narrative and neo-minimalist film. Thirdly, the cross-disciplinary practice from cinema to museum in the presentation of “The Deserted” and “Days” highlights Tsai Ming-liang’s extension of film as an art form. This move explicitly points to the omnipresent and timeless philosophical concept of the interplay between art and life. From “The Deserted” to “Days”, Tsai Ming-liang’s cinematic techniques—blending reality with illusion and contrasting virtual with tangible elements—highlight his mastery in navigating between indexes and animation, spatial montage and plasticity, documentary and fiction, post-narrative and neo-minimalist film, as well as between cinema and the museum. His work shapes the polymorphic nature of slow cinema and offers fresh insights into cross-disciplinary film history and digital film historiography.