6 Years (2015) Reviews

• This is not a love story, this is the portrayal of an unhealthy relationship.

  rumrolf2015-11-27

  I felt like this story wanted to prove something and that is that women can also be the abusive and aggressive ones in the relationship. Have in mind that I'm a female so there's no way this is biased. I'm actually recognizing that men can be victims of abuse too. It happens. The relationship between Dan and Melanie seems perfect to the outside but has an unhealthy nature. They have arguments in which she pushes and slaps him while he tries to keep her away from him. In one incident, after she pushes him, he falls to the floor and hits his head. The blood stars running so they both go see a doctor. The doctor asks him what happened and he lies, she believes him and let them go after saying something like "okay, that's all I need to know". You can clearly see if the situation was the opposite, she would have asked a lot of questions to find out if Melanie had been hit by Dan. A friend of Dan even says so when he tells her what really happened. Then there are more fights in which she seems like the victim but really isn't. He even goes to jail for a whole day just because the police saw them and assumed he was trying to hurt her. There's a moment when the aggressor becomes a victim when she almost gets raped by a random dude. Thinking about it, they are both victims, of themselves. They are so caught up in that twisted "love" they feel that they can't seem to function when they are on their own. That's why she forgives his infidelities and he forgives her aggressions. That's not love that's obsession and lack of self-esteem.

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• This movie was therapy

  ohrubydear2015-09-15

  I am bothered considerably to note how familiar I found this story. It's not the first film to portray a young romance filled with passion and volatility. But most lack the authenticity of 6 Years. The characters are RAW. There is no hero here. Not since Blue Valentine have I seen characters expose such intimate flaws, while still maintaining empathy. Credit for this should be awarded to the improv heavy style and insanely talented actors. Rosenfield is effortless perfection. His bargaining pleas were heartfelt and his retaliations so cold. Farmiga shone as both victim and aggressor. The grief and the rage and regret in her face felt far too real. I think this movie will gain more favour with those who find it relate-able. Well worth the watch for me.

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• Follows a young couple's struggle to carry on with their relationship while they grow up.

  isa-361372016-05-30

  I can see why many people disliked this movie. It's a representation of life without filters, without a happy ending, just life. If you've been in a long-term relationship, you'll like this film. I've always loved Taissa's acting, and this is no disappointment. I think she does a great job with real-life characters, she's believable. Overall this movie seemed so realistic to me, not just for the plot: their reactions, the way they carried themselves, the people around them. It's the representation of real life drama, without exaggeration or fantasy. It kind of reminded me of Boyhood in the sense that it follows a story very close to reality. I enjoyed it.

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• A glimpse into a dysfunctional relationship

  mornamsnt2016-01-11

  This is a movie that surprised me on many levels. I think the acting was decent. The plot wasn't very fast-paced, but in my opinion it was very, very real (personally, I could fully relate to this relationship minus the physical aggression part). It's not a story about partying, or love, or careers. And nope, I also don't think it's a movie about abusive relationships. In the end, it's a story about two children, who are suddenly faced with grown-up decisions and fully unable to deal with them (Spoiler: towards the end, Mel reaches that conclusion, saying she's scared to grow up, and at the end she actually makes the grown-up decision to let Dan go). Mel is deeply insecure (it's all over the movie, like her acting really insecure when he says he doesn't like kissing her after she smokes, then later with the porn, and so many other moments), acting out on her fears and regretting it just moments later. I don't think she's even really aware how much of a problem her anger issues are. Dan is much less insecure, but he's not a great communicator. He says little things that make Mel even more insecure. He has a new life, one that doesn't suit Mel well (his new friends and work), but instead of trying to resolve their differences, he just does his own thing. The circle of doom is easily born from this: her acting on her insecurities triggers him becoming more distant and focusing more on his work and co-worker, which in turn triggers her insecurity, which causes her to act less reasonable, which triggers him becoming more distant etc. Their problems could be resolved, but it requires them to act like grown-ups. Him, to talk about her aggression issues (and not in the middle of a fight) instead of cheating and lying about it. Her, to tell him about her insecurities in an open way and talk with him, instead of keeping looking for confirmations that he loves her. But they are still kids, not mature enough to take a step back and solve the problem, rather than wrapping op in their own frustration.

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• Is the person you love when you're young the same person you want to spend the rest of your life with?

  StevePulaski2015-09-04

  6 Years depicts young love with the naivety, tumultuousness, and consistent uncertainty that so often plagues it. It concerns Melanie Clark (Taissa Farmiga) and Dan Mercer (Ben Rosenfield), a college-aged couple that has been together for six years and finds themselves still entranced by great conversations, great understanding for one another, and great sex. However, their relationship doesn't come with a total pass from its own fair share of hardships; we see early on in the film a simple fight between Mel and Dan turns into a physical fight, with Mel pushing Dan into a dresser, where he gets a head wound serious enough to warrant a hospital visit. Nonetheless, all is forgiven and the two maintain the same love and affection for one another they've had for years. Mel and Dan frequent parties together and are clearly enjoying one another's company while it lasts. Yet, Dan has bigger plans, potentially getting him and his band signed to a record label and moving to New York City, much to the dismay of Mel, who has reworked her life revolving around Dan and their agreed plans to live together. The two wind up facing more arguments and animosity than they ostensibly faced before, and the pressures of life and preconceived plans find themselves at a crossroads now more than ever before. 6 Years asks the question if the person we fall in love with when we're young is the same person we'd be keen on spending the rest of our lives with, and in most situations, that could go both ways. If a person can handle you during high school and college, some of the most stressful and nervewracking times of your life, then perhaps that same person is worthy of you for the rest of your life. However, if that person can handle you during those times, but holds you back and/or limits you during the times that could make or break your personality for the rest of your life, are they really getting and supporting the whole you or the current, half-baked version of you? The film depicts one character, Dan, as someone who is consistently moving forward, looking towards forming a band, a career, and a life, hoping that the girl he's stuck with for six years now will come with him on this incredible journey. However, Mel's plans don't involve big moves to New York City, nor do they foresee huge changes. They see slow assimilation into every day conventionality, possibly involving a small, sufficient home and satisfying careers that may be what calls for the momentary situation, but not what calls for long-term, sustainable happiness. Mel makes the mistake of making Dan her whole life, while forgetting that he, indeed, has a life to attend to and she, in addition, has serious career choices she needs to make, as well, before she's stuck in a rut of which is impossible to get out. Now more than ever, young people are realizing their ability to make it far without committing to one person, and that, while presenting serious cons to the concepts of serious dating and commitment, are strong for the ideas of self-reliance and personal dependency. 6 Years focuses on what happens when dependency, while comforting and possibly the only thing somebody has known, can be detrimental to the future of a person. The film was directed by Hannah Fidell, known for her work on the heavily understated and fairly strong film A Teacher, which depicted a teenager's illicit relationship with his teacher. Despite hefty criticism for that film, Fidell seemed hesitant to change anything with 6 Years. This is a film heavily built on understated drama and situations that most mainstream films would overplay to death; while it didn't entirely work for A Teacher, Fidell wisely keeps things very low-key here. Farmiga and Rosenfield do strong work as the leads, particularly in the way they handle the minimalistic, sometimes downright impressionistic (the ending, the abuse scenes) scenes of the film with great conviction. The film's high level of romanticism also comes into play during key love-making and heartfelt scenes between the two actors that shows a great sense of passion. From these, we can tell, without being explicitly told, that while these characters may not be the best at communicating what's really on their minds, they've made up for it in the way they make love and show each other unmatched affection. 6 Years is a film that shows the animosity and sheer impossibility of young love, possibly questioning whether or not it's inherently doomed, like a star-crossed idea, bound to fail if even initiated. It reminds me of high schools, when I saw some couples tough it out for two, three, and, one particular couple, four years. "How does it feel to go on for longer than most marriages," I'd casually, but seriously, ask them. Starring: Taissa Farmiga and Ben Rosenfield. Directed by: Hannah Fidell.

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