It’s a tough task to portray a couple in a long term relationship on screen. People who have been together for an extended period of time have a different kind of rhythm than those who have just met or are still figuring each other out, and chances are the actors portraying the long term couple in a movie have just met recently. So, when I see a believable long term couple in a movie, it’s a unique accomplishment. 6 Years, the latest film from director Hannah Fidell, has nothing to worry about when it comes to that, as Taissa Farmiga‘s Mel and Ben Rosenfield‘s Dan totally sell the idea these two have been together for the titular amount of time. They even elevate the material as it slips into melodrama territory, though most of the film exhibits an honest look at a breakup.
Dan and Mel are a couple of college students at the University of Texas. He is currently an intern at a record company and really likes his job and the people there, particularly Amanda (Lindsay Burdge). Mel is a little less set in her ways, focusing on just getting through her academics. They are coming up on six years together, as they started dating when they were teenagers growing up next door to one another. One night Mel comes over to Dan’s house completely drunk (so much drinking in this movie). He berates her for how stupid it is to drive drunk, and she isn’t having any of it. The two have a rather physical fight and she shoves him into a dresser, bashing the back of his head against a corner. This is the beginning of the end.
I wish there had been less big moments like that. If you put in too many, you sort of get a cause and effect approach to a breakup rather than just a parting of two people. It is not merely one thing that makes two people split. It is a build up of small things overtime and one uses a big moment as the final nail in the coffin. Up until that point, we have not seen any problems with their relationship. Yes, the moment is shocking, but we do not know how much more is behind it.
There are things one could consider a big moment that felt more organic. Dan kissing Amanda at a party is one of those, but the moment plays much smaller than it easily could have. Rosenfield could have gotten up and started yelling at himself. Instead, him and Burdge play it like they are trying to stay as calm as they possibly can. Dan is yelling at himself on the inside, but we can easily see that in his eyes.
Even though Farmiga and Rosenfield are given bigger moments to play, the two manage to make them work. They have a phenomenal chemistry and a knack for saying the worst things to one another, but feeling awful about it while saying it. That being said, you can only say the worst/honest things of that nature to someone you love. In lesser actors’ hands, this could have been an overwrought mess of a film. Here, it’s still a bit melodramatic, but effective.
Director of photography Andrew Droz Palermo‘s photography is terrific. It meshes the melodrama into a believable world seamlessly, yet adding heft to the look with the widescreen presentation. Small relationship dramas rarely have a unique look to them, and the muted look of Austin, Texas captured here is beautiful and effective.
6 Years leans a little too heavily on the big moments, but its actors are so damn good I can forgive a lot of the plot problems. When all is said and done, you still care immensely for this couple and want what is best for both of them, even if that means not being together. So, it has some missteps, but 6 Years is still quite good.
