Document Type
Poster
Publication Date
Fall 2025
Abstract
This project aims to explore how adaptation reshapes the social architecture of a movie. To do this, I used social network analysis to compare the character dynamics between Infernal Affairs(Hong Kong, 2002) and its U.S. adaptation The Departed(2006) in two ways: co-presence networks (characters connected when they appear in the same scene, with edge weights capturing repeated co-appearance) and directed dialogue network (arrows representing who speaks to whom, with thicker arrows indicating more frequent dialogue). Comparing the network structures across the two films reveals meaningful differences in group structure, connecting roles, and the concentration of dialogue around key characters, which ultimately show how adaptation reshapes not only the plot, but also the social aspect of the story.
Recommended Citation
Vu, Melissa, "Two Moles, Two Worlds: Network Analysis of Infernal Affairs and The Departed" (2025). IPHS 200: Programming Humanity. Paper 82.
https://digital.kenyon.edu/dh_iphs_prog/82
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.