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Karena Ka-Yan Lam

Karena Ka-Yan Lam

Actor · Born August 17, 1978 (48) · Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Karena was working at her Vancouver family restaurant when she was discovered by a talent scout from Taiwan in 1993, at age fifteen. The scout persuaded her to fly to Taiwan that Christmas, alone, for a singing audition in the hope of securing a professional contract. The audition was a success and she released two albums, her debut album in 1995 and her second album later in 1999. However both were met with modest success. Her film debut in 2002 changed all this and propelled her to real stardom. Karena starred in three successful Hong Kong films in the same year, winning the awards of Best Supporting Actress and Best New Performer for her role in July Rhapsody directed by Ann Hui (at the 2002 Hong Kong Film Awards) and for Inner Senses by Lo Chi Leung (at the Taiwan Golden Horse Awards), gaining her recognition as a talented young actress and marking the start of her film career. In recent months she has been taking on much more challenging roles, as witnessed in the 2005 horror film Home Sweet Home, where she plays an insane and horribly deformed "phantom" monster who kidnaps a boy from his genetic mother to claim as its own, and was nominated for major awards again.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
August 17, 1978 (48)
From
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Works as
Actor
Titles
16 on Motif · 45 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 15% in 30 days

What are Karena Ka-Yan Lam's films like?

Across their 14 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Crime4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 24th percentile
: browse their Crime movies
Drama3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 73rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 31st percentile
: browse their Action movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 43rd percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Horror2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 47th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Horror movies

Their Motif films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
38%
Bonds
21%
Survival
14%
Power
11%
Self
8%
Society
6%
Ideas
2%
Family bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGuilt3 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRevenge2 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 13 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 2 · Serious 5 · Dark 6

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 4 · Stylized 8 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 10 · Intense 3

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 2 · Shifting 10 · Whiplash 1

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 9 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 1

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 8 · Relentless 1

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 5 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 1

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 7 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

8 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 4 of 8 analyzed roles.

Ally
4 of 8
Hero
2 of 8
Shadow
2 of 8
Show the 8 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
10
Melancholic
8
Thrilling
5
Bittersweet
4
Contemplative
3
Other
11

How their films linger

Bittersweet10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 4 with a twist

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet5
  • Ambiguous6

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 Karena Ka-Yan Lam's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 8 of their 16 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Karena Ka-Yan Lam's titles on Motif; 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

45 credits, 16 with a Motif page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Our Child (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2026)

    as Madam "Sarah"

  • The Season(2026)

    Show 6 episodes · as Fiona Hext

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all shows

  • Worth the Wait(2025)

    as Teresa

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Beyond the Sin (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2025)

    as Bo Kwan

  • Daughter's Daughter(2024)

    as Emma

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Tales of Taipei (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2024)

    as Yu (segment "Breeder")

  • Customs Frontline(2024)

    as Athena Siu

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Tales from the Occult: Body and Soul (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2023)

    Actor

  • Red Line (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2023)

    as Wang Le's wife

  • Man on the Edge(2022)

    as Mrs Lam

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • American Girl(2021)

    as Lily Wang

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Bad Acting (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2020)

    Actor

  • Legally Declared Dead (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2019)

    as Shum Chi Ling

  • The White Storm 2: Drug Lords(2019)

    as Chow Man-fung

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Integrity(2019)

    as Kong Suet Yee

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • The Liquidator(2017)

    as Wei Wei

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Heaven in the Dark (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2016)

    as Michelle

  • Keeper of Darkness(2015)

    as Fatt's Mother

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Zinnia Flower(2015)

    as Ming

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Dragon Blade(2015)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Keep Running (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2014)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Lover's Discourse (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2010)

    as Nancy

  • Don Quixote (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2010)

    as Sang Cuihua

  • Fit Lover (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2008)

    as Nie Bing

  • Claustrophobia (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2008)

    as Pearl

  • Candy Rain (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2008)

    as Ricky

  • Happy Funeral (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2008)

    as Karena

  • Anna & Anna (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2007)

    as Anna / Siyu

  • Kidnap (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2007)

    as Lam Hiu Yeung

  • Silk(2006)

    as Wei

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • On the Road (Sr. 1) (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2006)

    Show 5 episodes · Actor

  • Home Sweet Home (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2005)

    as Yim Hung

  • Mob Sister(2005)

    as Nova

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • It Had To Be You (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2005)

    as Jill

  • Six Strong Guys (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2004)

    as 丁丁

  • Super Model(2004)

    as Inspector Karena Zhang

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Koma (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2004)

    as Suen Ling

  • Moon Wall (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2004)

    Actor

  • The Floating Landscape (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2003)

    as Maan

  • Heroic Duo (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2003)

    as Brenda

  • Truth or Dare : 6th Floor Rear Flat (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2003)

    as Karena

  • Inner Senses(2002)

    as Cheung Yan

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Tiramisu (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2002)

    as Jane Chan

  • July Rhapsody (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2002)

    as Woo Choy-lam

  • 1971 (not in the Motif catalog yet)

    Actor

Career shape

Star power in the 92nd percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 45 titles, 44 of them dated from 2002 to 2026; peak year 2002.

Biggest box office

The White Storm 2: Drug Lords (2019)

$189M worldwide

Highest rated

American Girl (2021)

Midcredits 87th

Most popular right now

The Season (2026)

Film career

20022026

Peak 2002 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting45 of 45: 45 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score41st

By decade

2000s21 · acting2010s11 · acting2020s12 · acting

Billing

usually 3rd · top billed in 0% of 11 roles
0212

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 Motif, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Karena Ka-Yan Lam's films land?

Their typical Motif film has a Midcredits score in the 41st percentile, the median of all 15; across their 13 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 52nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

52ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Approval · how many liked their films

32ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Reach · how many have seen their films

62ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Midcredits score across 16 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up1
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th6
  • Below 25th5

Shape of the crowd

9 of their 16 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Panned1
  • Crowd Pleaser5
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed9

Most divisive · actor

The Season (2026)

69th percentile spread · 34% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

American Girl (2021)

Midcredits 87th · 75% liked

Reviewers score the acting 65/100 in their films, across 10 reviewed titles; fans 80, detractors 42. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; 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 Motif 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 Karena Ka-Yan Lam work with?

People who share at least 2 of Karena Ka-Yan Lam's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Tom Lin shares the most, 3.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers

Producers

Mixed roles