At first glance, the concept seems pretty basic. Boy and girl are, and have been, in love for a long time. Boy gets an opportunity away from girl and must decide what to do with his life.
However, “6 Years” is nothing like its predecessors. The Director is IU alumna Hannah Fidell , and when I went to see the film at the IU Cinema last weekend as part of their “Directed by Women” series ongoing throughout the semester.
Without giving away any major spoilers, at its core, the film chronicles a relationship with an abusive side. What’s interesting is the stark contrast between the obvious love between the two and the growing darker, toxicity of their relationship.
“Something that always struck me when I was watching young adult movies is they don’t always capture that feeling like you’re always on edge, and how you’re still learning how to handle your emotions,” Fidell said. “At least that’s how I was.”
She said Mark Duplass, director of “Cyrus” and “Jeff, Who Lives at Home,” came to her after watching her first feature film, “A Teacher,” and wanted to do a film about a couple in an abusive relationship.
“We worked through how the violence would be portrayed, but mainly I wanted to subvert the traditional stereotype of what domestic violence and abuse looks like,” she said.
And “6 Years” does just that. In a mere 85 minutes, Fidell makes complicated issues more simplistic. Viewers understand the characters’ motivation, not only for remaining together, but also for the abuse itself. Their love, and the situation they’re in, feels realistic.
Fidell said she gave very little blocking instructions in the movie, allowing the actors the opportunity to get to know their characters without feeling constricted by direction. Additionally, much of the dialogue in the movie is improvised, and Fidell said the actors would offer ideas about scenes to include.
“I would quickly go in my room and write out dialogue and then we would shoot it,” she said.
However, I think what makes “6 Years” so memorable for me was the normalcy of it all. There were no crazy plot twists, nothing out of the scope of reality. It was simple, and watching the movie felt like I was watching the interactions of my friends. The film accurately captures the fleeting feelings of people my age.
As an accurate depiction of young love in all its toxic and romantic glory, the film is certainly worth watching.
Watch the trailer below.
“6 Years” is currently available for streaming on Netflix, Amazon Video and YouTube.
