Geling Yan
Writer · Born November 16, 1958 (67) · Shanghai, China
Yan Geling (simplified Chinese: 严歌苓; traditional Chinese: 嚴歌苓; pinyin: Yán Gēlíng; born 16 November 1958) is a prominent Chinese-American writer, author of several novels, short stories and screenplays. Much of her work has been adapted for film. She is currently represented by the Hong Kong-based Peony Literary Agency.
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Biography from TMDB.
- November 16, 1958 (67)
- Shanghai, China
- Writer
- 7 on MovieCove · 16 credits in all
What are Geling Yan's films like?
Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Bonds.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 7
Light 2 · Serious 1 · Dark 4
Grounded 3 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 0
Gentle 1 · Charged 3 · Intense 3
A split, not a type: Steady 3 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0
Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0
Casual 1 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 1 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 5
Resolved 4 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy1
- Bittersweet3
- Tragic2
- Cyclical1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Geling Yan's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 2 of their 7 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (2).
Subscription and free streaming for Geling Yan's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
16 credits, 7 with a MovieCove page.
One Second(2020)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
A City Called Macau (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
Youth(2017)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
Earth: One Amazing Day(2017)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Round Table (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
Coming Home(2014)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
Dangerous Liaisons(2012)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films
Voice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
The Flowers of War(2011)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
Happiness Comes Knocking (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Forever Enthralled (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
The New World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Siao Yu (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
心弦 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
The Perfect Blue (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 16 titles, 15 of them dated from 1981 to 2020.
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Geling Yan's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 89th percentile, the median of all 7; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 85th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up6
- 25th to 49th1
Shape of the crowd
4 of their 7 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved2
- Crowd Pleaser4
- Mixed1
Reviewers score the dialogue 54/100 and the plot and story 52/100 in their films, across 7 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Geling Yan work with?
People who share at least 2 of Geling Yan's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Yimou Zhang shares the most, 3.
Directors
- Yimou ZhangShared titles: One Second (2020), Coming Home (2014), The Flowers of War (2011)See all 3 shared titles with Yimou Zhang
Writers
- Jingzhi ZouShared titles: One Second (2020), Coming Home (2014)See all 2 shared titles with Jingzhi Zou
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Xiaoding ZhaoShared titles: One Second (2020), Coming Home (2014), The Flowers of War (2011)See all 3 shared titles with Xiaoding Zhao
- Peicong MengShared titles: Coming Home (2014), The Flowers of War (2011)See all 2 shared titles with Peicong Meng
- Qi Gang ChenShared titles: Coming Home (2014), The Flowers of War (2011)See all 2 shared titles with Qi Gang Chen
Producers
- Bill KongShared titles: One Second (2020), Coming Home (2014), The Flowers of War (2011)See all 3 shared titles with Bill Kong
- Liwei PangShared titles: One Second (2020), Coming Home (2014)See all 2 shared titles with Liwei Pang
- David LindeShared titles: Coming Home (2014), The Flowers of War (2011)See all 2 shared titles with David Linde
