The Favor (fiction feature, 110 min, 2007)

An unmarried photographer living in New Jersey receives a phone call from a woman who broke his heart 25 years ago. A week later, he has loved her and lost her all over again, and her troubled teenage son is living with him. THE FAVOR is an intimate family drama that explores the fabric of human relationships and what we will do for the ones we love. Variety calls it a "gently wrought tearjerker" with strong performances by Tony Award Winning actor Frank Wood and Ryan Donowho. 110 min.

A bracing, nuanced work that flirts with melodrama without ever teetering into sappy conventions, the film is the fiction feature debut of writer-director Eva Aridjis. Subtly acted, with Aridjis showing remarkable trust in her performers, "The Favor" is that rare film that at every turn exhibits good taste and a sense of restraint.
Mark Olsen, The Los Angeles Times

In the spirit of "Broken Flowers" comes "The Favor," a quiet, methodical drama with no wasted scenes or dialogue, a film that moves as calmly and rationally as its main character… It's not about a man searching for a long-lost son (like "Broken Flowers"), but a man taking a foster son even though he knows nothing about parenthood in general or the boy specifically. That way often lies wackiness, but "The Favor" is a serious movie, albeit a sweet one, about emotional uncertainty and unexpected relationships.
Eric D. Snider, on-line critic

A pair of beautifully mismatched lead performances elevate a predictable drama to unexpected resonance in "The Favor." Patiently observing the slow-to-thaw relationship between a middle-aged New Jerseyite and the troubled teenage boy he welcomes into his life, writer-director Eva Aridjis invests her first fiction feature with rewarding depths of humor and feeling that go a long way toward redeeming the occasional tonal awkwardness or overstated emotion… Crucially, both thesps succeed in establishing the kind of effortless rapport that eludes their characters. Their final dialogue exchanges are written and directed by Aridjis with particular sensitivity, as well as an almost painful earnestness that somehow manages to steer clear of sentimentality.
Justin Chang, Variety

As an exploration of constructed family, director Eva Aridjis’s work is artfully nuanced. Subtlety is the film’s tact, and Aridjis refuses to manipulate the audience’s emotions with a heavy hand. This approach is bolstered by strong performances from the lead actors: the meek, yet eternally generous Lawrence (Frank Wood) and the angst ridden, taciturn Johnny (Ryan Donowho). Overall, the film is alternately sweet and sad, amusing and moving. Aridjis delineates this small world with mastery, providing an understated commentary on finding friends and family in unlikely places.
Jamie Tipps, Film Threat

"The Favor" confirms Aridjis' exceptional talent for zeroing in on adolescent identity crises, in which characters are caught in an unending state of anguish and uncertainty. At the same time, the film reveals a visual elegance in every frame. The director's incisive clarity and attention to detail are brought to the fore with her choice of music and dialogues that are as intelligent as they are Spartan. With "The Favor," Aridjis exhibits ease at getting her actors to give exceptional performances. Filled with humanity and intimacy, they will linger with filmgoers long after they have left the movie theater.
Nedda G. de Anhalt, The Herald, Mexico

WINNER
Best Actor
SAN DIEGO FILM FESTIVAL

WINNER
Honorable Mention
CINEVEGAS FILM FESTIVAL

OFFICIAL SELECTION
MORELIA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

OFFICIAL SELECTION
AFI DALLAS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

A DARK NIGHT PICTURES/TELEVISION AZTECA/PROCESS PRODUCTION
“THE FAVOR” FRANK WOOD RYAN DONOWHO ISIDRA VEGA PAIGE TURCO
Casting by ALI FARRELL Costume Designer TERE DUNCAN Production Designer
EDWIGE GEMINEL Composer DANNY HOLE Music Supervisor LINDA COHEN
Director of Photography ANDRIJ PAREKH Edited by MATHILDE BONNEFOY
Executive Producers ELISA SALINAS, RICARDO SALINAS and HOWARD GERTLER
Producers EVA ARIDJIS and HEATHER GREENE Written & Directed by EVA ARIDJIS