Six Years (stylized as 6 Years) is a 2015 American romantic drama written and directed by Hannah Fidell, starring Taissa Farmiga and Ben Rosenfield.
High school sweethearts Melanie "Mel" Clark and Daniel "Dan" Mercer have been together for six years. Mel is ready to get married and start having babies, while Dan is working to build his career. As Dan's college graduation approaches, volatile ups and downs force them to examine their competing priorities and make tough decisions about their lives together.
Despite the title, the film comprises a period of only a few weeks.
6 Years provides examples of:
- Anger Born of Worry: Dan shows this several times, most obviously when Mel drives home drunk.
- Armor-Piercing Question: "Tell me you love me, and tell me you want to spend the rest of your life with me. Look me in the eye, and tell me."
- Childhood Friend Romance: Dan and Mel's relationship. Dan's mother even implies that Dan and Mel continue to stay together because they've known each other so long that neither can imagine life without the other, rather than because they're still really in love.
- Differing Priorities Breakup: Explored.
- Domestic Abuse: A significant amount of screentime is devoted to Mel and Dan emotionally and physically abusing each other.
- But Liquor Is Quicker: Will attempts this after Jessica leaves him alone with a drunken Mel. Mel shoves him off and the scene is very much played for horror.
- Double Standard: Abuse, Female on Male:
- Explicitly called out by Amanda, pointing out that if Dan got drunk and pushed Mel into the dresser, no one would make excuses for him.
- Also invoked when Dan is arrested. Even though Mel started their fight, it's automatically assumed that Dan was the one attacking her.
- Hard-Drinking Party Girl: Mel is drinking alcohol in nearly every scene, and at one point Dan chastises her for driving drunk.
- Inappropriately Close Comrades: Dan is an unpaid intern at ToPo Records, while Amanda is a full-time employee privy to hiring decisions. It is somehow never called out that the two of them are out getting drunk together most nights and that Amanda even comments on Dan's sex life and drunkenly shares her sexual habits with him in pretty significant detail - which basically constitutes workplace harassment.
- Love Martyr: Mel is clearly more invested in the relationship than Dan. She stays with him even after finding out he kissed another woman, and despite calling him out for being All Take and No Give when she finds out he's planning to move across the country without her for a job, she worries that she has ruined the relationship and goes over to his place the next day to apologize.
- Masochism Tango: Dan and Mel.
- Trauma Conga Line: First, Mel finds out Dan kissed a woman he works with and hid it from her. When she confronts him, things turn violent and he is arrested and held overnight - which he holds her responsible for, even though she tried to stop the cops from taking him. Then, Mel is nearly raped while Dan is out drinking with a woman he already cheated on her with once. Finally, Mel walks in on Dan post-coital with this same woman, leading to a physical fight, a trip to the hospital, and Dan finally admitting he doesn't love Mel or want to spend the rest of his life with her. All in the span of only a few weeks.
