Favors Film Guides

Welcome to Favors Film Guides!

Overview

Favors Film Guides focus on the application of psychology and the theme of setback for select commercial films. Favors Film Guides are the print version of the online medium. The guides are used for both academic and commercial purposes.

Case Study: The Town (2010)

Favors Film Guides: Psychological Perspectives on The Town (2010) explores the depiction of a heist film, its inner workings through the presentation of a four-man crew, the puppet master responsible for blackmailing third parties to gain access to a robbery target, and the family dynamics that usher in and perpetuate robbery as the “family business.”

The film begins and ends with a central character, Doug MacRay, who we are introduced to via voiceover. There is a sense of both distance and adjacency to the community and the robberies he conducts with the four-man crew, but his goal to leave the town is something that guides whether he will participate in all robberies.

Doug is opposed by both the puppet master, Fergie the Florist, and James Coughlin, the one who he must live with when his father is sentenced to prison. James expects reciprocation from Doug for being a pseudo-father to him while his father is away. Doug resists his childhood friend, which creates tension between the men and between Doug and James’s sister, Kris.

Research Questions

This film guide explores and answers the following research questions:

What is the purpose of the robberies in the film?
What are the historical factors (implicit) that contribute to the depiction of robberies in the film?
What are the precipitating economic and financial factors that the perpetrators believe robbery is necessary?
Does the movie explain the reasons behind the robberies?
Does the Great Recession have an impact on the decision to commit robberies?
To what issues does the movie respond?

These are the research questions that form the basis for study.

This Favors Film Guides focuses largely on exploring the behaviors of the characters, the character of the film, and the community that supports the “family business” of robbery and criminal behavior.

This is depicted as a code of silence necessary to sustain future robbery objectives. If someone tells, then that decision would affect the completion of other robberies. Therefore, this guide ultimately explores the psychology of criminal behavior, beginning with a discussion on how the family dynamic affects social perception. Here is an outline of the sections of this guide.

This guide includes historical references specific to Charlestown, Massachusetts; cultural information about Irish citizens; crime and statistical information between 1955 and 2000; child psychology theories; and the psychology of criminal behavior.

Status

Favors Film Guides is under development.

Favors Film Guides: Psychological Perspectives on The Town (2010) is currently in development and expected to be complete by December 31, 2025 or early Spring 2026.