I’m definitely the type of person to obsess over every romantic film known to mankind. I adore a good love story with countless trials and tribulations. The film 6 Years, starring the infamous Taissa Farmiga as Mel and actor Ben Rosenfield as Dan, completely fulfills my need for problematic love stories. At the beginning, the film portrays what a strong relationship Mel and Dan have and have had for the past 6 years. They’re in college, doing college kid stuff, and just living life the way it should be lived in an ideal world. As the story evolves, we quickly learn that maybe they’ve not grown as much as we might expect to see in such a long term relationship.
This story is solely focused on the fact of literally needing someone in order to live properly because you know no different. Imagine losing a best friend of many years, or even a close relative. Mel and Dan have had an inseparable bond for years and they’ve basically grown up together and went through every becoming situation with one another. They’ve not known any other adult life, and when things begin to fall apart in a setup like so – it can be terrifying. As we grow older, we change. Change is inevitable and I’m not saying that love cannot last beyond childhood puppy love – I’m just saying not all love stories will end that way (although I’ll be the first to admit that I wish it would).
When you begin your first day of school, and your parents are dropping you off at the door of your very first classroom, you feel panicked. It gives a child a relentless rush of anxiety as they feel like that’s forever. I think that feeling can be compared to Mel and Ben’s crumbling relationship as they feel there is nothing else holding them together other than their 6 years of commitment and investment in one another over that long period of time. When an individual has a consistent bond with someone or something, it’s almost always the case that the relationship with whomever or whatever will be massively traumatic if ended, as if you’re a small child put into a very vulnerable place.
Throughout the film, the two thought-to-be perfect love birds get into many altercations, even physical ones at that. This film just goes to show that not every relationship we see out and about that appears to be carefree and loving is just that. No matter how much you care for someone, things can turn hellish. This film demonstrates a good lesson, I think. Rely on yourself for happiness, not others. If you haven’t seen this film yet, you can catch it on Netflix. I would rate this film 4 out of 5 stars.
Words by Brianna Humes