Wikipedia

Love Lies (2024 film)

Not to be confused with Love Lies Bleeding (2024 film).

Love Lies (Chinese: 我談的那場戀愛) is a 2024 Hong Kong romance film directed and co-written by Ho Miu Ki, marking her directorial debut. Starring Sandra Ng and MC Cheung Tin-fu, the film revolves around a melancholic romance that develops from an online scam, featuring a lonely doctor (Ng) who falls prey to a scammer (Cheung).

Love Lies
Theatrical poster
Traditional Chinese我談的那場戀愛
JyutpingNgo5 Taam4 Dik1 Naa5 Coeng4 Lyun2 Oi3
Directed byHo Miu Ki
Screenplay byHo Miu Ki
Chan Hing Kai
Produced byChan Hing Kai
Janet Chun
StarringSandra Ng
MC Cheung Tin-fu
CinematographyTam Wai Kai
Edited byTo To
Music byDay Tai
Production
company
Distributed byOne Cool Pictures
Release dates
Running time
116 minutes
CountryHong Kong
LanguageCantonese

The film had its world premiere at the 48th Hong Kong International Film Festival on 29 March 2024, followed by a theatrical release in Hong Kong on 12 September. It received two nominations in the 61st Golden Horse Awards.

Synopsis

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An internet scam syndicate is dismantled by the police following an anonymous report. Renowned gynaecologist Dr. Veronica Yu, believed to be a victim, and a young man named Joe Lee, seen near the syndicate's lair, are questioned by detectives Sit and Wong, leading them to share their stories.

Some time ago, Lee reluctantly interviews for a job, where he mentions his habit of lying and is surprisingly hired. Mr. White, his employer, introduces him to the internet fraud syndicate, which scams people through dating apps by initiating online relationships. Joan, the screenwriter-turned-strategist, gives Lee his first fake persona: a French engineer named Alain Jeunet. He soon matches with Veronica Yu, a wealthy but lonely middle-aged woman. Curious, she joins the dating app under the fake identity of a nurse from her clinic. The two begin chatting, but Mr. White and Joan find Yu suspicious, as she uses luxuries far beyond what a young nurse could afford and does not engage in social media activities. Following Joan's advice, Lee sets a trap for Yu, tricking her into confessing that she is not a young nurse and exchanging her real Facebook account with him.

The scammers investigate Yu's identity and discover she is a millionaire, aiming to make her a prime _target. Lee starts digging through Yu's old Facebook posts, pretending to be her ideal type and showering her with care and attention. Soon, Lee fabricates a story about a project partner who has died and manipulates Yu into lending him $500,000 USD. Lee goes underground for a few days while Yu begins researching online scams, growing increasingly worried. During a celebration for the syndicate, he feels guilty and suggests they return the money to Yu. However, Mr. White misinterprets this as Lee's plan to bait Yu for further scams. Approved by the ringleader, Lee transfers the money back to Yu, who is overjoyed, believing she has found true love.

Yu wants to meet Lee face-to-face and go on a trip to Sapporo. Although he could manipulate her through texts, he chooses to visit Sapporo in person. He lies about his schedule, claiming it is delayed after trying to save children from a burning house. Yu forgives him and makes him promise to visit Sapporo together the following July. The next day, Yu begins her journey alone, with Lee following her. She revisits places where she had gone on honeymoon with her late husband, breaking down in tears at an izakaya. Lee, sitting behind her, offers tissues and listens as she reminisces about sweet memories.

Upon returning, Yu notices Lee's Facebook account has uploaded a photo of his arrival at Hong Kong International Airport. This is a mistake by a new recruit who accidentally reposts a photo from the real Jeunet's Facebook. Yu rushes to the boarding gate shown in the photo, only to find Jeunet does not recognize her and has a girlfriend. Seeing a heartbroken Yu, Lee feels sympathetic towards her. After returning to the lair, Mr. White believes their relationship is faltering and insists on one last attempt to scam her. His men create a fake video of Jeunet being abducted by terrorists, demanding a $5,000,000 USD ransom. However, Lee no longer wants to deceive Yu and steals Mr. White's phone. Meanwhile, after surgery, Yu sees the video and, concerned, rushes to a bank to transfer the large sum. Escaping, Lee attempts to confess to Yu and calls her just before bumping into her on a footbridge. His account is remotedly logged off by the scammers after Lee greets in Cantonese. Yu realizes the man she thought she loved is a fake and smiles wryly. Witnessing her learn the truth without disappointment, Lee walks away.

Back at the police interrogation, Wong asks if Lee made the anonymous report, and he does not deny it. Yu insists she has not been deceived but has only experienced a love story, refusing to testify. The following July, Yu visits Sapporo, looking at old photos on a streetcar. She notices a man following her throughout her journey and recognizes him as the one who comforted her at the izakaya. When she lifts her head, she sees Lee at the tram station, and they exchange smiles.

Cast

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  • Sandra Ng as Dr. Veronica Yu, a successful middle-aged gynecologist whose private life is filled with failures[1]
  • MC Cheung Tin-fu as Joe Lee, a new recruit in a dating scam syndicate who poses as a French engineer[1]
  • Stephy Tang as Joan, a flirty screenwriter-turned-strategist and second-in-command of the dating scam syndicate[1]
  • Chan Fai-hung as Mr. White, the ringleader and mastermind of the dating scam syndicate[1][2]
  • Emotion Cheung as Henry Hui, the deceased husband of Yu[1][2]

Also featuring cameo appearances by Ronald Cheng as Arthur Fung, Yu's ex-boyfriend;[2] Jo Kuk as Diana, Yu's best friend;[2] Joman Chiang and Lam Yiu Sing as Inspector Carrie Sit and Detective Wong, police officers tasked with cracking down on the scam syndicate;[3] and Elva Ni as Mrs. Chow, a wealthy patient of Yu.[2]

Production

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Development

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After the production of the comedy film Meow (2017), screenwriter Ho Miu Ki did not receive any new film contracts due to the rising trend of police action films and the COVID-19 pandemic.[4] During this time, she saw news reports about police cracking an internet scam syndicate, which included scripts for acting out their fraud found in their lair, sparking her interest in the scamming activities.[5] She developed a screenplay draft and joined the First Feature Film Initiative,[4] where she was selected in the sixth wave in 2020,[6][7] receiving funding of $8 million HKD from the initiative and marking her directorial debut.[5][8] After being enlisted, Ho approached her mentor Chan Hing Ka to join the project as producer, and the two revised the screenplay to focus more on the romance and emotional aspects rather than the crime elements and warnings about scams.[5] Ho also insisted on filming the latter part of the movie overseas, believing that people would be more emotional when far from home, and chose Hokkaido as the backdrop for its leisurely and relaxed atmosphere.[5]

Due to a limited budget, Chan reached out to various costume and art designers he knew to join the production team for reduced pay or even for free.[5] He also invited Sandra Ng to join the cast, and she accepted the offer immediately after reading the script.[9] Ng declined a fixed paycheck, opting to work for free instead, agreeing to receive a bonus only if the box office was successful.[5] Additionally, she lent her own wardrobe to the costume crew and wore her own clothes during filming to help save money.[8][10] Emotion Cheung and Chan Fai-hung, who were acquainted with Chan Hing Ka, both agreed to make cameo appearances shortly after receiving the invitation as well.[11] The commencement of production was announced in June 2023, with singer MC Cheung Tin-fu and Stephy Tang joining the cast.[12] Cheung was recommended by Ng, who was impressed by his stage charisma after attending his concert,[8][13] while Tang's role was described as a cameo, as she only participated in the shoot for four days.[5] Photos and text messages between the characters were added on-screen during post-production using VFX effects.[14] The film was completed in March 2024,[14] and was presented by One Cool Film Production at the project market during the Hong Kong International Film Festival that same month.[15] A behind-the-scenes compilation was released on 19 August, revealing cameo appearances by Emotion Cheung, Joman Chiang and Ronald Cheng.[16]

Filming

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Principal photography began on 6 June 2023.[17][18] Location shooting occurred on 16 June at an industrial building in Fo Tan, Shatin District, where Sandra Ng, MC Cheung Tin-fu, Stephy Tang, and contestants from a talent show hosted by the YouTube channel Running Team were spotted on set.[19][20] Filming also took place at Central Piers on 21 June.[21] The crew then moved to Japan, shooting in Furano, Hokkaido on 4 July.[22][23] On 6 July, Cheung opened a Threads account and mentioned that he was filming in Sapporo in his first post, shortly after the social media platform was launched.[24] Due to budget constraints, the crew chose to film in Sapporo because the city government was offering funding initiatives for foreign films.[5] Additionally, the Sapporo government loaned a Sapporo Streetcar for the crew to use on-site and allowed local citizens to register online as volunteer background actors to aid the production and promote Sapporo.[5][25] Filming in Sapporo took place at Odori Park, Sapporo TV Tower, and Tanukikoji Shopping Street.[22] The shoot wrapped up in early August.[26]

Music

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Love Lies's theme song "Penpal" was performed by MC Cheung Tin-fu and composed by Day Tai, with lyrics co-written by Pakkin Leung and director Ho Miu Ki.[27] A music video was released on 11 September 2024, a day before the film's theatrical release.[28] Louis Koo's "Boyfriend" was featured in the official trailer, which Ho selected because she found the lyrics to be very similar to the film's plot.[29]

Release

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Love Lies had its world premiere on 29 March 2024 at the 48th Hong Kong International Film Festival,[30][31] followed by screenings at the 14th Beijing International Film Festival and the 26th Taipei Film Festival.[32][33] It was later showcased at the 23rd New York Asian Film Festival, marking its North American premiere.[34] The film premiered at New Town Plaza on 2 September 2024,[3] followed by a theatrical release on 12 September in Hong Kong.[35] It was then featured in the Panorama section of the 43rd Vancouver International Film Festival and the Spotlight on Hong Kong section of the 44th Hawaii International Film Festival, where Sandra Ng received a Filmmaker in Profile Award in the latter.[36]

Reception

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Box office

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Love Lies grossed over 3 million HKD in its opening weekend, topping the daily box office for four consecutive days,[37] and reaching 10 million by the third weekend.[38][39] The film accumulated 15 million by its fourth week,[40] and climbed to 17 million by late October.[41]

Critical response

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Edmund Lee of South China Morning Post gave Love Lies 3/5 stars, describing it as an admirable yet mannered film that, while presenting a thought-provoking premise about romance, deception, and loneliness, ultimately fails to fully explore its deeper emotional themes due to an overreliance on light comedy.[1] Keith Ho, writing for HK01 lauded the film as an engaging exploration of love and loneliness, highlighting its interesting story, lovable characters, and impressive performances especially by Sandra Ng, while noting the film's unique storytelling method and effective use of Sapporo as a backdrop, though he felt the two detective characters could have been better utilized to provoke deeper reflections on the meaning of love and marriage.[2] Siu Yu of am730 noted that the film is an engaging exploration of online scams that infuses romance into its narrative, skillfully capturing the loneliness of modern urban life while showcasing impressive performances, particularly from Sandra Ng and MC Cheung Tin-fu, making it a refreshing and relevant film for Hong Kong audiences.[42]

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Nominee Result Ref.
2024 61st Golden Horse Awards Best Leading Actress Sandra Ng Nominated [43]
Best New Director Ho Miu Ki Nominated
9th London East Asia Film Festival Best Film — Won [44]

References

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  2. ^ a b c d e f Ho, Keith (29 August 2024). "《我談的那場戀愛》借網絡騙案說一個孤獨與成長的故事". HK01 (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 13 September 2024. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  3. ^ a b "我談的那場戀愛丨吳君如張天賦首度合作火花四射 鄧麗欣罕有演反派掌握騙術". TOPick (in Chinese). 3 September 2024. Archived from the original on 13 September 2024. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
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  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i "我談的那場戀愛丨何妙祺感激吳君如無酬演出 陳慶嘉讚鄧麗欣表現超乎預期". TOPick (in Chinese). 5 September 2024. Archived from the original on 13 September 2024. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
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