Love Lies

West Coast Premiere

Official Selection, 2024 Hawaii International Film Festival

How much does truth matter when feelings are real? Veronica, a middle-aged obstetrician and wealthy widow, joins a dating app, where she initially pretends to be Linda, the 25-year-old nurse at her clinic. As “Linda,” she attracts the attention of French petroleum engineer “Alain,” who is of course none other than con artist Young Man Joe, newly recruited by Mr. White for his syndicate.

Despite all the deception and Joe’s fake texts as Alain — scripted by flirtation expert Joan (Stephy Tang) — true affection and care emerge between Veronica (the iconic Sandra Ng) and Joe (MC Cheung Tin Fu). And once the police catch on to the con, Veronica declines to press charges against her scammers, insisting she was simply enjoying a love affair. After all, “Love, once believed, is real.”

Screenwriter Ho Miu Ki’s directorial debut is a rom-com caper that refuses to victimize Ng’s character or condemn deceptions of varying levels of severity, instead showing us the pricelessness of loving and being loved.

– Wilda Wong