Ambiguous Borders 虛實邊界之聲

2024 , Documentary Film , 30 mins

Film Director |

Robert Chang Chien 張簡長倫

Synopsis |

"Kuo Chiayo, an NGO worker in digital diplomacy from Taiwan and an amateur performer, gazes towards the distant shore, lost in a dreamlike reverie. Memories ripple through her mind, recalling the moments, both on and off stage, of her involvement in the international touring production 'This Is Not an Embassy.' Alongside former diplomat David Wu and musician Debby Wang, she portrayed characters and explored her own identity, navigating the ambiguous boundaries between theatre and reality. Through encounters with others and the tumultuous diplomatic relations between her homeland and the international community, she grapples with the ambiguous borders between individuals, nations, roles, and life."

望向遠方阿爾卑斯山脈，與湖之彼岸的似夢非夢間，台灣數位外交工作者既素人演員郭家佑，伴隨眼前湖水波濤，腦海泛起陣陣記憶漣漪：關於自己參與「這不是個大使館」紀錄劇場跨國巡演的記憶；與同為素人演員的前外交官吳建國、音樂家王思雅，在所扮演的角色與真實人生途中，探索心境、在她來自的國家與國際世界曖昧動盪之外交關係間，人與人、國與國、角色與人生、現實與記憶間，那些雖近猶遠的虛實邊界。

Directorial Concept |

Rather than a conventional expository documentary, this film merges poetic and reflexive modes, embracing the idea that documentary is a re-presentation of reality. As defined by John Grierson, documentary is a creative treatment of actuality, and as John Berger suggests, photography itself is born from memory. This film, a “documentary of a documentary theatre,” becomes a layered re-representation.

Faced with the complexity of time, space, and characters, the narrative structure adopts a non-linear form, like a “world tree” branching out from Chia-Yo’s subjective memories. Branches explore actors as characters, theatre spaces as spiritual entities(Genius Loci), and a transcendent macro-perspective. Using carefully crafted cinematography and montage, the film explores transcendence while maintaining space for ambiguity and viewer reflection—eschewing labels or conclusions.

本片或許非大眾較熟悉的解說型(Expository)紀錄片，而是揉合詩意(Poetic)與自省(Reflexive)模式的混合型態。
紀錄片本質為「真實的再現」，又英國紀錄片先驅John Gierson定義紀錄片為「呈現觀點並對現實素材創造性處理」、英國攝影評論家John Berger認為「攝影的前身是記憶」；而本片為隨「紀錄劇場」巡演拍攝的「紀錄片」，故可謂真實「再現之再現」，牽涉議題層級與人員規模均相當龐大，故基於前期研究、對電影本質之理解，以及根據拍攝當下狀態調整，我遂決定以演員家佑的記憶視角作為敘事主線，帶領觀眾層層體驗我們所再現的現實。

因製作過程跨越多個時空場景，時序與人物錯綜複雜，故本片在結構上採非線性敘事，如一棵世界樹將故事展開：故事主幹由演員家佑的主觀記憶帶領，細枝再分為演員與受訪者(人物作為角色)、劇場(場所精神作為角色)、超然(高於地表的宏觀尺度作為角色)，以處理複雜的外交、政治、文化與身份認同等課題。在影像與聲音處理上，以精心設計的鏡頭語言、混音，與蒙太奇手法探索超越性(Transcendence)與人類社會的潛在關係，並在文本與節奏上，嘗試提出角色與課題之多面向性，盡可能不貼標籤、不下結論，改以保留想像空間的方式，引導換位思考，逐步模糊因彼此不理解形成的邊界，亦擁抱觀眾的參與性。