6 Years is a 2015 American romantic drama film written and directed by Hannah Fidell and starring Taissa Farmiga, Ben Rosenfield, Lindsay Burdge, Joshua Leonard, Peter Vack, and Dana Wheeler-Nicholson.

[2] The film depicts two weeks in the relationship of college students Melanie Clark and Dan Mercer, as their 6-year romance turns violent.

[5][6] A young couple, Melanie Clark and Daniel Mercer, experience joyful moments in their relationship, including having passionate sex.

In June 2014, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Hannah Fidell had written and directed a relationship drama film, set for release in 2015.

[8] Fidell had been approached by Mark Duplass to make a film depicting a young couple experiencing domestic violence, which appealed to her.

[9] On June 12, 2014, after filming for the project was already complete, it was revealed that Taissa Farmiga and Ben Rosenfield play the leading roles, Melanie Clark and Dan Mercer, respectively.

[1] That same day, it was also reported that Peter Vack, Joshua Leonard, Jennifer Lafleur, and Lindsay Burdge have supporting roles in the film.

[2] Before filming began, Fidell and the two main actors (Farmiga and Rosenfield) went to the Berkshires in Massachusetts to study the script outline and develop their characters.

[14][15] Filming took place at locations including the West Campus neighborhood,[16] the University of Texas at Austin,[17] and Wooten Elementary School.

[19] Fidell revealed that she only wrote a 40-page treatment for the film, including visuals and tonal references, instead of writing a full script.

[20] Film editing began while the project was still in the production phase,[20] 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.

[28][29] On March 15, 2015, Netflix acquired global distribution rights, with plans that have been accomplished to release it on the streaming service later in that year.

[31][4] In the late June of 2015, The Orchard acquired the domestic rights to 6 Years,[23] and released it on video on demand in the United States on August 18, 2015.

[36] Eric Kohn and Nigel M. Smith of IndieWire cited the performances of Farmiga and Rosenfield as breakout talent at the 2015 South by Southwest.

[37] 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.

[40] Justin Chang of Variety 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.

"[41] John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "A melodrama benefitting from excellent performances but suffering from a too-obvious script,"[42] while Ryland Aldrich of Twitch Film 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.