6 Years is a realistic look at relationships that started young, and begin to face the "real world" when growing up. Taissa Farmiga and Ben Rosenfield put two excellent performances in this slice-of-life coming-of-age story. Think Like Crazy à la Sofia Coppola.

Melanie and Dan move through parties, talk to their own circles of friends, argue, make up and repeat. This sounds tedious, yet it accurately portrays a contemporaneous relationship while exploring slightly darker themes. At 85 minutes, the film is easy to watch whilst at the same time demanding a certain element of commitment from the audience. This is due to the improvisational quality of the film and script, which leads to the best and worst parts about the film.

This film is a rare example where a predictable script works - and doesn't. Predictability inevitably detracts from the film as a whole. The most uncertainty there is, is in the question, "Happy ending or sad ending?" This also leads to scenes that don't necessarily add to the story, but are necessary "beats" in this "type" of film. On the plus side, you’re pretty sure you know what’s coming next, and that makes the current moment even more uncomfortable, adding a layer of tension. On top of that, the calibre of the leads’ performances is high enough that their reactions, even if initially predictable, add a complexity to the scene.

Together they try rising out of the melodrama imposed on them by the director - but then again, isn't young love always melodramatic?

There is no doubt the improvisational quality to the film is due to the Duplass Brothers being part of the production team behind the film, lending it the evolved mumblecore aesthetic that they make work in all their more recent films. Unfortunately, this means the film has it's particularly annoying shallow-focus moments - in 20 years, people will look back and be able to confirm that a film was made between 2005 and 2015 due to that element alone.

Despite the predominantly improvisational script, there is enough structure to see clever mirrors between events in the film highlighted by director Hannah Fidell, particularly in violence. The question of violence is fairly elequently explored in a wordless manner, relying more on actor performance.

Taissa Farmiga shows great talent at playing drunks, and Ben Rosenfield shows many sides to his acting style - funny and charming, as well as strangely creepy and crazy. Together they try rising out of the melodrama imposed on them by the director - but then again, isn't young love always melodramatic? Their performances combined create great viewing, and singlehandedly make you believe you are watching a real couple - which is the best a film about a couple can do.