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L for Love, L for Lies Too (2016) movie poster

Characters & Themes

L for Love, L for Lies Too (2016) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

Release, runtime and language
2016 · 109 mins · Cantonese
Directed by
Patrick Kong
Starring
Nora Miao, Tenky Tin Kai-Man, Stephy Tang Lai-Yan, Chi-Shan Lai, Wilfred Lau Ho-Lung, Oscar Li Ka

On the night that Bo finds his boyfriend Sun cheating on her, she befriends Louis, a professional swindler who ends up recruiting her to join his entourage.

On this page (6)
  1. 1 Characters explained (4)
  2. 2 Where & when it takes place
  3. 3 Themes & meaning (4)
  4. 4 Character & meaning questions
  5. 5 Movie threads
  6. 6 Every angle

4 main characters · contains spoilers

L for Love, L for Lies Too Characters Explained: Who Is Who

The main characters of L for Love, L for Lies Too (2016), heroes and villains: what drives them, how they change over the course of the story and what each of them reveals about the film's bigger ideas.

  • Bo (Stephy Tang Lai-Yan)

    Bo is a hopeful, hardworking young woman who builds a sweets shop with her longtime boyfriend. When Kei Kei's arrival exposes hidden desires and cracks in trust, Bo must navigate betrayal while protecting her livelihood. She pivots to a new career as a makeup artist, seeking fresh opportunities and a chance to redefine her sense of self. Throughout, she grapples with what love really requires—honesty, loyalty, and the courage to forgive.

    • 🎭 Protagonist
    • 💞 Romance
    • 🌿 Growth
  • Kei Kei

    Bo's old Taiwanese classmate who uses charm to mask self-centered motives and pursue Jun. Her actions spark Bo's heartbreak and destabilize the shop's livelihood. She embodies the allure and danger of chasing wealth at the expense of loyalty.

    • 💎 Antagonist
    • 🎭 Charisma
    • 💰 Wealth-Seeker
  • Keung

    A practiced conman whose manipulation drives the central deception. He lures Kei Kei into a plan that backfires and threatens Bo's world. His past catches up with him, culminating in violence and a doomed, heartfelt confession that underscores the film's moral about consequences.

    • 🕵️‍♂️ Conman
    • 🎭 Complexity
    • 💔 Love
  • Jun

    Bo's longtime boyfriend who shares in the early happiness of the sweets shop. His trust becomes a target of Kei Kei's manipulation, and the couple's relationship endures a rocky period before reconciling. In a twist, Ah-Man's new partner is revealed to be Jun, complicating the path to lasting love.

    • 💑 Lover
    • 💔 Betrayal
    • 🕊️ Reconciliation

Last updated: October 03, 2025 at 06:22

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Setting

Where and When Does L for Love, L for Lies Too Take Place?

The setting of L for Love, L for Lies Too (2016): the year and time period, the places and locations, and how they shape the characters, the mood and the tension of the story.

Time period

Location

Last updated: October 03, 2025 at 06:22

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4 major themes

L for Love, L for Lies Too Meaning: Themes & Message Explained

What is L for Love, L for Lies Too (2016) really about? The emotional, social and philosophical themes the film keeps returning to, its symbolism and the message beneath the surface.

  • Love and Lies

    Romance drives the narrative as trust is shattered by Kei Kei's charm and Bo's desire for honesty. The film explores how deception can fracture a relationship and test one's willingness to forgive. Through Bo's trials, love is framed as a choice between idealized visions and messy, real-world commitments.

  • Betrayal and Trust

    Betrayal acts as a catalyst, pushing Bo to question loyalty and the value of truth. The scheme to teach Kei Kei a lesson exposes how quickly trust can erode when self-interest prevails. Rebuilding trust requires painful honesty and a willingness to confront uncomfortable truths.

  • Recovery and Rebuilding

    Bo pivots from a flourishing sweets shop to a makeup artist role, signaling resilience and adaptability. The new work environment introduces fresh dynamics and demands personal growth. The journey suggests that healing comes through reinventing oneself while staying true to core values.

  • Truth and Consequences

    Keung's criminal past and the façade around Kei Kei collide with violence, forcing a stark confrontation with consequences. The eventual unmasking tests everyone's willingness to face the real truth behind lies. The ending argues that honesty, even when painful, is the truest form of care.

Last updated: October 03, 2025 at 06:22

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Character & theme questions

L for Love, L for Lies Too Characters & Meaning: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask about L for Love, L for Lies Too (2016): who the characters really are, their relationships, what the symbols mean, where it takes place and what the movie is really about. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Who is Bo and what is her role in the story

Bo is the film's protagonist, a hopeful and hardworking young woman who builds a sweets shop with her longtime boyfriend Jun. After experiencing betrayal, she reinvents herself as a makeup artist, representing the theme of recovery and rebuilding. Her journey explores what love truly requires, honesty, loyalty, and the courage to forgive.

  • bo
  • protagonist
  • main character
  • sweets shop
  • makeup artist
Q2

Who is Kei Kei and what does she represent

Kei Kei is Bo's old Taiwanese classmate who uses charm to mask self-centered motives. She pursues Jun, triggering Bo's heartbreak and destabilizing the sweets shop. She embodies the allure and danger of chasing wealth at the expense of loyalty, serving as the catalyst for the central conflict.

  • kei kei
  • antagonist
  • classmate
  • betrayal
  • love triangle
Q3

Who is Keung and what is his role

Keung is a practiced conman who manipulates Kei Kei into a deceptive plan that backfires and threatens Bo's world. His criminal past catches up with him, culminating in violence and a doomed, heartfelt confession. He represents the theme of truth and consequences, underscoring the film's moral that honesty, even when painful, is the truest form of care.

  • keung
  • conman
  • antagonist
  • criminal past
  • deception
Q4

Who is Jun and what is his relationship with Bo

Jun is Bo's longtime boyfriend who shares in the early happiness of running the sweets shop. His trust becomes a target of Kei Kei's manipulation, and their relationship endures a rocky period before eventually reconciling. The couple's journey reflects the film's exploration of trust rebuilt through painful honesty.

  • jun
  • boyfriend
  • romance
  • reconciliation
  • sweets shop
Q5

What are the main themes of the movie

The film explores four interconnected themes: Love and Lies, which examines how deception fractures relationships and tests willingness to forgive; Betrayal and Trust, showing how quickly trust erodes when self-interest prevails; Recovery and Rebuilding, following Bo's pivot from sweets shop to makeup artist as a path to healing; and Truth and Consequences, arguing that honesty is the truest form of care even when painful.

  • themes
  • love
  • lies
  • betrayal
  • trust
  • recovery
  • truth
  • consequences
Q6

What does the Love and Lies theme mean in the movie

Romance drives the narrative as trust is shattered by Kei Kei's charm and Bo's desire for honesty. The film explores how deception can fracture a relationship and test one's willingness to forgive. Through Bo's trials, love is framed as a choice between idealized visions and messy, real-world commitments.

  • love theme
  • lies theme
  • trust
  • forgiveness
  • romance
Q7

How does Betrayal and Trust function in the story

Betrayal acts as a catalyst, pushing Bo to question loyalty and the value of truth. The scheme to teach Kei Kei a lesson exposes how quickly trust can erode when self-interest prevails. Rebuilding trust requires painful honesty and a willingness to confront uncomfortable truths.

  • betrayal theme
  • trust theme
  • loyalty
  • honesty
Q8

What does Recovery and Rebuilding represent

Bo pivots from a flourishing sweets shop to a makeup artist role, signaling resilience and adaptability. The new work environment introduces fresh dynamics and demands personal growth. The journey suggests that healing comes through reinventing oneself while staying true to core values.

  • recovery theme
  • rebuilding theme
  • resilience
  • transformation
  • healing
Q9

How does Truth and Consequences play out

Keung's criminal past and the façade around Kei Kei collide with violence, forcing a stark confrontation with consequences. The eventual unmasking tests everyone's willingness to face the real truth behind lies. The ending argues that honesty, even when painful, is the truest form of care.

  • truth theme
  • consequences theme
  • unmasking
  • honesty
  • resolution
Q10

What does the title mean

The title 'L for Love, L for Lies Too' plays on the letter L, suggesting that love and lies are two sides of the same coin. It reflects the film's exploration of how deception can fracture romantic relationships while also implying that even truthful love requires navigating complex emotional terrain.

  • title meaning
  • interpretation
  • letter l
  • love
  • lies
Q11

What is the tone and emotional arc of the film

The movie maintains a medium intensity due to significant emotional moments like betrayals and a violent death, but it is not consistently overwhelming. The tone is predominantly bittersweet, weaving together heartbreak with moments of hope and reconciliation. The ending acknowledges that love can persist amidst deception but also requires difficult compromises and letting go.

  • tone
  • emotional arc
  • bittersweet
  • intensity
  • pacing

Movie threads

More Movies Like L for Love, L for Lies Too, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes L for Love, L for Lies Too tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Movies about messy love and forgiveness like L for Love, L for Lies Too

Romantic dramas where love survives and evolves amidst deception and heartbreak. If you enjoyed the complex emotional landscape of L for Love, L for Lies Too, explore more movies like it. These dramas feature intricate love triangles, themes of betrayal and deception, and ultimately, stories about personal growth and finding a complicated path to forgiveness after heartbreak.

  • betrayal
  • romantic
  • poignant
  • reflective
  • tense
  • hopeful
  • Tone: bittersweet, reflective, tense
  • Pacing: steady, character-driven
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative typically begins with a foundational betrayal, such as infidelity, which shatters a character's world. This event propels them on a journey of self-discovery, often involving new, morally ambiguous relationships. The arc isn't about neat revenge or simple reconciliation, but about characters grappling with pain, learning difficult truths about themselves, and arriving at a mature, if bittersweet, acceptance of love's complexities.

Why they belong together: These films are grouped together because they share a core focus on the gray areas of romance. They balance the pain of betrayal with the possibility of hope, maintain a steady, character-driven pace, and deliver endings that feel earned yet realistically imperfect, resonating with a 'bittersweet' emotional tone.

Movies about personal reckoning and new beginnings like L for Love, L for Lies Too

Character-driven journeys from the ruins of a relationship to a flawed but hopeful future. Fans of L for Love, L for Lies Too will appreciate these similar movies about life after a major betrayal. Watch characters navigate the fallout of infidelity, be drawn into unexpected new dynamics, and slowly rebuild their lives on a foundation of painful but valuable lessons, leading to a realistically hopeful conclusion.

  • reckoning
  • personal growth
  • poignant
  • melancholic
  • hopeful
  • friendship
  • Tone: poignant, melancholic, hopeful
  • Pacing: steady, reflective
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative structure follows a protagonist whose life is upended by a trusted partner's deception. This crisis leads them to an unlikely mentor or new social circle (sometimes morally questionable), which serves as a crucible for change. The story focuses on the internal reckoning and external choices that lead from devastation to a state of nuanced healing, acknowledging the past while cautiously stepping forward.

Why they belong together: These movies share a specific emotional arc: a fall from grace, a period of disorientation and growth, and a conclusion that balances sadness for what was lost with hope for what might be. They are united by a steady pacing that allows for reflection, a medium emotional intensity, and a core theme of rebuilding a life after it has been broken.

Every angle

L for Love, L for Lies Too (2016) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about L for Love, L for Lies Too in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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