Canadian Premiere
The directorial debut of screenwriter Ho Miu-Ki (The Mermaid) is a clever catfish comedy starring Sandra Ng as the middle-aged victim of an elaborate online con game. Swept away by the possibility of love, Veronica flirts online with a man she thinks is Alain Jeunet, a handsome, charming Frenchman. Little does she know that her virtual beau is actually Joe Lee (Cheung Tin-Fu), a rookie scam artist with just enough of a conscience to feel conflicted about his crimes…
Cynical yet vivacious, Love Lies calls to mind Billy Wilder films like The Apartment—as in that consummate rom-com, satire, and romance are perfectly balanced here. Ho knowingly suggests that deception and fantasy are integral to falling in love. As the grouchy but optimistic Veronica, Sandra Ng gives a radiant performance, and Cheung is excellent as the con man who gets caught up in his own conceit. The supporting cast shines as well, with especially stellar turns from Chan Fai-Hung as arch-criminal Mr. White and Stephy Tang as his exuberant, vamp-ish underling, Joan.
Supported by
Media Partner
Sandra Ng, Cheung Tin-Fu, Stephy Tang, Chan Fai-Hung, Cheung Kam-Ching
Hong Kong
2024
In Cantonese with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits & Director
Producer
Chan Hing Kai, Janet Chun
Screenwriter
Ho Miu Ki, Chan Hing Kai
Cinematography
Tam Wai Kai
Editor
To To
Production Design
Alex Mok
Original Music
Day Tai
Ho Miu-Ki 何妙祺
Ho Miu-Ki started working as a screenwriter in 2008, writing films such as La Comédie Humaine (2010), Naked Ambition 2 (2014), and The Mermaid (2016), which was nominated for Best Screenplay at the 36th Hong Kong Film Awards. Love Lies is her directorial debut.
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Giant
This was the Yellowstone of its time: a big, sweeping modern Western built around an imposing ranch and family dynamics -- except Giant is much more subversive. James Dean strikes it rich as Jett Rink, much to the disgust of his former boss, Rock Hudson.
Familiar Touch
A loving portrait of an octogenarian transitioning into an assisted living facility, this award-winning first feature by choreographer Sarah Friedland has a simplicity and warmth that's exceptionally poignant.
Super Happy Forever
This beguiling film depicts a man’s return to the Japanese seaside town where he met his now-deceased wife five years earlier. He tries to relive the past, and in the film's final section -- a flashback to 2018 -- the audience is afforded that privilege.
A Streetcar Named Desire
"I don't want realism. I want magic!" declares Blanche du Bois, the tragic heroine who meets her nemesis in her sister's husband, Stanley Kowalski, in Tennessee Williams' great play. Brando's performance as Stanley is a turning point in American acting.
Georgia O'Keeffe: the Brightness of Light
Drawing on her copious correspondence and the world's leading scholars, this is a definitive documentary on the life and work of "the mother of American Modernism."
