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
Blue Heron
In the late 1990s, eight-year-old Sasha and her Hungarian immigrant family relocate to a new home on Vancouver Island. Their fresh start is interrupted by increasingly dangerous behaviour from Jeremy, the family’s oldest child.
Amrum
Twelve-year-old Nanning (Jasper Billerbeck) sets himself a mission to secure bread and honey for his mother to snap her out of her depression. It is 1945. The war is all but lost, and such luxuries are not easy to find on the remote island of Amrum...
Street Hassle: Songs by Lou Reed
Guitarist Aram Bajakian takes on the Lou Reed song catalogue in this second concert of the weekend. A ticket to this show includes free admission to Faraway, So Close at 3:30 pm.