6 Years
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''6 Years'' is a 2015 American romantic
drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...
written and directed by Hannah Fidell and starring
Taissa Farmiga Taissa Farmiga ( ; born August 17, 1994) is an American actress. Her numerous appearances in horror films have established her as a scream queen, alongside her older sister Vera Farmiga. Farmiga was encouraged to begin acting by her sister ...
,
Ben Rosenfield Ben Rosenfield is an American actor and musician. He is best known for playing Willie Thompson on the fourth and fifth seasons of HBO's period crime drama series ''Boardwalk Empire'' (2013–2014). He starred in leading roles in ''Greetings f ...
,
Lindsay Burdge Lindsay Michelle Burdge (born July 27, 1984) is an American actress and producer known for her roles in independent films such as ''A Teacher'' (2013), ''Wild Canaries'' (2014), '' The Midnight Swim'' (2014), '' The Invitation'' (2015), '' 6 Years ...
,
Joshua Leonard Joshua Granville Leonard (born June 17, 1975) is an American actor, producer, writer, and director, known for his role in ''The Blair Witch Project'' (1999). He has since starred in films such as '' Madhouse'' (2004), '' The Shaggy Dog'' (2006), ' ...
, Peter Vack, and
Dana Wheeler-Nicholson Dana Wheeler-Nicholson is an American actress and singer best known for her roles in the films '' Fletch'' (1985), ''Tombstone'' (1993), ''Fast Food Nation'' (2006) and '' Parkland'' (2013). She is also known for her roles on television series s ...
. Filmmakers
Mark Mark may refer to: In the Bible * Mark the Evangelist (5–68), traditionally ascribed author of the Gospel of Mark * Gospel of Mark, one of the four canonical gospels and one of the three synoptic gospels Currencies * Mark (currency), a currenc ...
and
Jay Duplass Lawrence Jay Duplass Jr. (born March 7, 1973) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author widely known for his films ''The Puffy Chair'' (2005), ''Cyrus'' (2010), and '' Jeff, Who Lives at Home'' (2011), made in collaboration with his younger br ...
served as executive producers under their
Duplass Brothers Productions Duplass Brothers Productions is an American independent film and television production company founded by Mark Duplass and Jay Duplass, two brothers who are also actors, directors, producers and writers. They have produced films such as ''The Puf ...
banner. The film depicts two weeks in the relationship of college students Melanie Clark and Dan Mercer, as their 6-year romance turns violent. The film had its world premiere at the
South by Southwest Film Festival South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has continued growing in both s ...
on March 14, 2015, and its European premiere at the
Champs-Élysées Film Festival The Champs-Élysées Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Paris, France. The festival consists of French and American feature-length films and short films. There are competitive films that may be eligible for several award ...
on June 13, 2015. ''6 Years'' was released on
video on demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos, television shows and films Digital distribution, digitally on request. These multimedia are accessed without a traditional video playback device and a typica ...
platforms on August 18, 2015, by The Orchard, and was made available worldwide on
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
on September 8, 2015.


Plot

A young couple, Melanie Clark and Daniel Mercer, experience joyful moments in their relationship, including having passionate sex. After a house party one night, Mel drives to Dan's house drunk. Berating her for being reckless, Dan tries to force Mel to stay the night. Mel reacts angrily and pushes him into a dresser, causing Dan to sustain a head wound. At the emergency room, Dan lies about how he got the injury, covering for Mel. Dan interns at
Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...
-based record label Topo Records. His co-worker Amanda notices his injury; she points out how different the situation would look if it had happened to Mel and not him. Mel starts a job as a teaching assistant to Ms. Anders at an elementary school. One night, her friends ask how she and Dan keep things fresh, and Jessica suggests they should watch pornography. Dan later catches Mel watching a porn film. The next day, they go for lunch with Dan's mother Joanne. Before Mel arrives, Joanne tells Dan that she and his dad will pay his rent if he chooses to move to
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. A few nights later, Mel and Dan go to a pool party thrown by Mark. After Mel leaves, Dan kisses Amanda on an impulse. He apologizes, and they agree it is best to stay friends. The next morning, Dan goes to Mel's house and she notices his odd behavior. He denies there's anything wrong. That night, Mel borrows Dan's phone at a party and sees a text from Amanda talking about their kiss. They break out into a physical fight, and, in an attempt to subdue Mel's lashing out, Dan holds her to the ground. The police show up and misunderstand the situation because Mel stays silent when Dan asks her to explain the situation to them. When she refuses to do so, the police arrest him. Dan is released the next morning, but refuses to speak to Mel. Jason and Mark offer Dan a job at Topo Records' new office in
Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
. To celebrate, he goes to a bar with Amanda. She apologizes for sending him the text, and Dan informs her that he and Mel are on a break. Meanwhile, Mel attends a party with her friends, where she meets Will. After becoming intoxicated, Jessica and Will take her home. Jessica goes back to the party, but Will stays behind and attempts to rape Mel while she is semiconscious; she pushes him off and he leaves. Mel tells Dan about Will and tearfully asks him to hold her. The two then go to
Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
to help Mel's mother move out of her childhood home. While there, Dan visits his mom, who encourages him to go to New York. Later, Dan tells Mel about his job offer and she accuses him of only thinking of himself. He, in turn, calls her needy and Mel orders him to leave. Mel then worries that she has messed the relationship up for good. Her roommate Becca suggests that she should sleep on it and give Dan time to cool off. Back at Dan's house, he and Amanda have sex. The next morning, Mel arrives to apologize and catches Amanda leaving. In the ensuing argument, Mel throws a glass across the room and Dan throws a punch at her, but diverts in the end thinking better of it, causing him to slam his hand into the wall. She pushes Dan into the broken shards, injuring his foot. At the hospital, Dan tells Mel he's sorry and that he no longer wants to go to New York and wants to stay with her. Mel tells Dan that she thinks he should take the job and move to New York. Dan rejects that suggestion and says he wants to stay. Mel tells Dan that she loves him but it doesn't feel right. Dan tells Mel that he doesn't want to break up but she then asks Dan to look her in the eyes and tell her that he loves her and wants to spend the rest of his life with her. Dan is unable to and instead says he's sorry. Mel says okay and with that, reality starts to set in that their 6 year relationship is finished.


Cast

*
Taissa Farmiga Taissa Farmiga ( ; born August 17, 1994) is an American actress. Her numerous appearances in horror films have established her as a scream queen, alongside her older sister Vera Farmiga. Farmiga was encouraged to begin acting by her sister ...
as Melanie "Mel" Clark *
Ben Rosenfield Ben Rosenfield is an American actor and musician. He is best known for playing Willie Thompson on the fourth and fifth seasons of HBO's period crime drama series ''Boardwalk Empire'' (2013–2014). He starred in leading roles in ''Greetings f ...
as Daniel "Dan" Mercer *
Lindsay Burdge Lindsay Michelle Burdge (born July 27, 1984) is an American actress and producer known for her roles in independent films such as ''A Teacher'' (2013), ''Wild Canaries'' (2014), '' The Midnight Swim'' (2014), '' The Invitation'' (2015), '' 6 Years ...
as Amanda *
Joshua Leonard Joshua Granville Leonard (born June 17, 1975) is an American actor, producer, writer, and director, known for his role in ''The Blair Witch Project'' (1999). He has since starred in films such as '' Madhouse'' (2004), '' The Shaggy Dog'' (2006), ' ...
as Mark *
Dana Wheeler-Nicholson Dana Wheeler-Nicholson is an American actress and singer best known for her roles in the films '' Fletch'' (1985), ''Tombstone'' (1993), ''Fast Food Nation'' (2006) and '' Parkland'' (2013). She is also known for her roles on television series s ...
as Joanne Mercer * Peter Vack as Will *
Jennifer Lafleur Jennifer Lafleur is an American actress. She is known for appearing in the independent films '' The Do-Deca-Pentathlon'' (2012), ''The Pretty One'' (2013), '' The Midnight Swim'' (2014), ''MAD'' (2016) and '' 6 Years'' (2015). On television, Laf ...
as Ms. Anders * Molly McMichael as Jessica * Alysia Lucas as Becca * Jason Newman as Jason


Production


Pre-production

In June 2014, ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' announced that Hannah Fidell had written and directed a relationship drama film, set for release in 2015. The feature was produced by Kelly Williams, Andrew Logan and Jonathan Duffy, and executive produced by
Mark Mark may refer to: In the Bible * Mark the Evangelist (5–68), traditionally ascribed author of the Gospel of Mark * Gospel of Mark, one of the four canonical gospels and one of the three synoptic gospels Currencies * Mark (currency), a currenc ...
and
Jay Duplass Lawrence Jay Duplass Jr. (born March 7, 1973) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author widely known for his films ''The Puffy Chair'' (2005), ''Cyrus'' (2010), and '' Jeff, Who Lives at Home'' (2011), made in collaboration with his younger br ...
through their production company
Duplass Brothers Productions Duplass Brothers Productions is an American independent film and television production company founded by Mark Duplass and Jay Duplass, two brothers who are also actors, directors, producers and writers. They have produced films such as ''The Puf ...
. Fidell had been approached by Mark Duplass to make a film depicting a young couple experiencing
domestic violence Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes r ...
, which appealed to her. On June 12, 2014, after filming for the project was already complete, it was revealed that
Taissa Farmiga Taissa Farmiga ( ; born August 17, 1994) is an American actress. Her numerous appearances in horror films have established her as a scream queen, alongside her older sister Vera Farmiga. Farmiga was encouraged to begin acting by her sister ...
and
Ben Rosenfield Ben Rosenfield is an American actor and musician. He is best known for playing Willie Thompson on the fourth and fifth seasons of HBO's period crime drama series ''Boardwalk Empire'' (2013–2014). He starred in leading roles in ''Greetings f ...
play the leading roles, Melanie Clark and Dan Mercer, respectively. That same day, it was also reported that Peter Vack,
Joshua Leonard Joshua Granville Leonard (born June 17, 1975) is an American actor, producer, writer, and director, known for his role in ''The Blair Witch Project'' (1999). He has since starred in films such as '' Madhouse'' (2004), '' The Shaggy Dog'' (2006), ' ...
,
Jennifer Lafleur Jennifer Lafleur is an American actress. She is known for appearing in the independent films '' The Do-Deca-Pentathlon'' (2012), ''The Pretty One'' (2013), '' The Midnight Swim'' (2014), ''MAD'' (2016) and '' 6 Years'' (2015). On television, Laf ...
, and
Lindsay Burdge Lindsay Michelle Burdge (born July 27, 1984) is an American actress and producer known for her roles in independent films such as ''A Teacher'' (2013), ''Wild Canaries'' (2014), '' The Midnight Swim'' (2014), '' The Invitation'' (2015), '' 6 Years ...
have supporting roles in the film. Before filming began, Fidell and the two main actors (Farmiga and Rosenfield) went to
the Berkshires The Berkshires () are highlands located in western Massachusetts and northwestern Connecticut in the United States. Generally, "Berkshires" may refer to the range of hills in Massachusetts that lie between the Housatonic and Connecticut River ...
in
Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
to study the script outline and develop their characters. The film was untitled during pre-production and filming; its official title, ''6 Years'', was announced by Fidell through her
Tumblr Tumblr (pronounced "tumbler") is a microblogging and Social networking service, social networking website founded by David Karp in 2007 and is owned by American company Automattic. The service allows users to post multimedia and other content ...
blog on September 3, 2014. Will Brittain was originally attached to portray the role of Will, but had to drop out at the last minute.


Filming

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
for the film lasted approximately three weeks in
Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...
. Production began on March 17, 2014, and was completed on April 6, 2014. Filming took place at locations including the West Campus neighborhood, the
University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...
, and Wooten Elementary School. In July 2014, re-shoots on the film took place. Fidell revealed that she only wrote a 40-page treatment for the film, including visuals and tonal references, instead of writing a full script. In addition, only a few prominent scenes were written with dialogue already prepared for the actors; in other scenes,
improvisation Improvisation, often shortened to improv, is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. The origin of the word itself is in the Latin "improvisus", which literally means un-foreseen. Improvis ...
was heavily used. Farmiga stated that, for the duration of production, the cast and crew lived together in the house used for Mel's home in the film, in order to become comfortable with each other due to the intimate nature of the film.


Post-production

Film editing began while the project was still in the production phase, with Sofi Marshall and Carlos Marques-Marcet serving as editors. Fidell stated that the editing process was difficult due to the frequent use of improvisation throughout the film, which made it hard for continuity in the story. Stuck On On provided sound post-production services. In January 2015, Fidell revealed on her
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
that sound mixing was underway, and at
South by Southwest South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...
, Fidell stated that post-production had been completed a few weeks before the film's premiere at the festival.


Soundtrack

The soundtrack was set to be made available at some point by The Orchard, but went unreleased. Actors
Joshua Leonard Joshua Granville Leonard (born June 17, 1975) is an American actor, producer, writer, and director, known for his role in ''The Blair Witch Project'' (1999). He has since starred in films such as '' Madhouse'' (2004), '' The Shaggy Dog'' (2006), ' ...
,
Ben Rosenfield Ben Rosenfield is an American actor and musician. He is best known for playing Willie Thompson on the fourth and fifth seasons of HBO's period crime drama series ''Boardwalk Empire'' (2013–2014). He starred in leading roles in ''Greetings f ...
, and Jason Newman recorded a cover of the song "Get Me" by
J Mascis Joseph Donald Mascis Jr. (born December 10, 1965), better known as J Mascis, is an American musician who is the singer, guitarist and main songwriter for the alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr. He has also released several albums as a solo artist a ...
(of Dinosaur Jr.) for the soundtrack; Rosenfield and
Lindsay Burdge Lindsay Michelle Burdge (born July 27, 1984) is an American actress and producer known for her roles in independent films such as ''A Teacher'' (2013), ''Wild Canaries'' (2014), '' The Midnight Swim'' (2014), '' The Invitation'' (2015), '' 6 Years ...
also recorded a cover of "Indian Summer" by
Beat Happening Beat Happening was an American indie pop band formed in Olympia, Washington, in 1982. Calvin Johnson, Heather Lewis, and Bret Lunsford have been the band's continual members. Beat Happening were early leaders in the American indie pop and lo-f ...
.
Julian Wass Julian Wass (born November 10, 1981) is an American television writer, director, film composer, producer, and electronic musician from Los Angeles, California. He is the son of actors Janet Margolin and Ted Wass. Music for films Julian Wass first ...
was hired to score the music for the film, having previously composed the music for ''
The Do-Deca-Pentathlon ''The Do-Deca-Pentathlon'' is a 2012 independent comedy film written and directed by brothers Jay Duplass and Mark Duplass. The film stars Mark Kelly, Steve Zissis, Jennifer Lafleur, and Julie Vorus. The film had its world premiere at SXSW on Mar ...
'' (2012), which was written and directed by ''6 Years'' executive producers Mark and Jay Duplass.


Distribution


Marketing

The official poster art for ''6 Years'' was released by the
IMDb IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...
on July 24, 2015. The official trailer was released exclusively by
Yahoo! Movies Yahoo! Movies (formerly Upcoming Movies), provided by the Yahoo! network, was home to a large collection of information on movies, past and new releases, trailers and clips, box office information, and showtimes and movie theater information. Ya ...
on July 30, 2015. On August 17, 2015,
Vulture.com ''Vulture'' is an American entertainment news website. It is the standalone pop culture section of ''New York'' magazine. Its tagline is "Devouring Culture". History ''Vulture'' debuted in April 2007 as an entertainment blog on nymag.com, the w ...
released the first seven minutes of the film.


Release

The film had its world premiere on March 14, 2015 at
South by Southwest Film Festival South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has continued growing in both s ...
. On March 15, 2015,
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
acquired global distribution rights, with plans that have been accomplished to release it on the streaming service later in that year. The film subsequently screened at the
Maryland Film Festival The Maryland Film Festival is an annual five-day international film festival taking place each March in Baltimore, Maryland. The festival was launched in 1999, and presents international film and video work of all lengths and genres. The festiv ...
and the
2015 Champs-Élysées Film Festival The fourth annual edition of the Champs-Élysées Film Festival was held from 10 to 16 June 2015. See also References External links * * * Champs-Élysées Film Festival 2015 film festivals 2015 festivals in Europe 2015 in ...
. In the late June 2015, The Orchard acquired the domestic rights to ''6 Years'', and released it on
video on demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos, television shows and films Digital distribution, digitally on request. These multimedia are accessed without a traditional video playback device and a typica ...
in the United States on August 18, 2015. The film began streaming worldwide through
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
on September 8, 2015.


Home media

The film was released on DVD in the United States on April 12, 2016 by
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Inc. (abbreviated as SPHE) is the home entertainment distribution division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony. Background SPHE is responsible for the distribution of the Sony Pictures libra ...
.


Reception


Critical response

Review aggregator
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
gives the film a 69% approval rating based on 13 reviews, and an average rating of 6.61/10. The film was assigned a weighted average of 53 out of 100 from
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, based on 5 reviews, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. Eric Kohn and Nigel M. Smith of IndieWire cited the performances of Farmiga and Rosenfield as breakout talent at the 2015
South by Southwest South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...
. Kohn wrote, "Hannah Fidell, working with executive producers Mark and Jay Duplass, effectively broadens her range by borrowing the sibling directors' improvisatory style and ceding control to her two leads, whose heartbreaking performances imbue this familiar Austin-set narrative with a fiery edge." In their list of 25 performances they would like to see receive awards recognition, IndieWire highlighted Farmiga and Rosenfield's work in ''6 Years''. IndieWire also listed the film as number 7 on its "13 Most Criminally Overlooked Indies and Foreign Films of 2015". Justin Chang of ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' wrote, "Although shot and performed in a determinedly raw, naturalistic register, this emotionally roiling portrait of two twentysomething Texas sweethearts too often veers toward melodramatic overstatement, inspiring little empathy or understanding despite the committed performances of promising young leads Taissa Farmiga and Ben Rosenfield." John DeFore of ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' wrote, "A melodrama benefitting from excellent performances but suffering from a too-obvious script," while Ryland Aldrich of
Twitch Film ScreenAnarchy, previously known as Twitch Film or Twitch, is a Canadian English-language website featuring news and reviews of mainly international, independent and cult films. The website was founded in 2004 by Todd Brown. In addition to films, ...
opined, "An indie drama through and through, Fidell has again succeeded in telling a tiny story and making it feel as big as the world. Her connection to these characters is infectious and impossible to ignore. It may be an emotional rollercoaster, but it is real, and the intimacy is undeniable."


Accolades


References


External links

* * * * {{Hannah Fidell 2015 films 2015 independent films 2015 romantic drama films American independent films American romantic drama films Duplass Brothers Productions films Films directed by Hannah Fidell Films shot in Austin, Texas Films set in Austin, Texas 2010s English-language films 2010s American films English-language independent films Films scored by Julian Wass English-language romantic drama films