Review of 42 Up (1999) by Rich B — 22 Mar 2004

[size=3]Michael Apted's "Up" documentary series has never lost its hold on me...I am always anxious to see how the years have molded and shaped the personalities of the people that these films have followed for thirty-five years. The series, for those who do not know, is a long-term experiment that began in 1962, when Apted decided to film interviews with various seven year-old children and ask them about their hopes and dreams. Every seven years, Apted has revisited those children (or at least, those that continue to participate in the series), and as a whole the Up documentaries add up to a startling record of the changes and life experiences that shape a person's personality. In the latest entry in the series, [i]42 Up[/i], many of the people that have become familiar to us are back to share their stories and express the philosophies they have developed about life. Perhaps the most prominent figure in the series is Neil, who seemed to be losing his way at ages 28 and 35 but now has a remarkable story of friendship and redemption. Others have not been so lucky: some have careers that they find unfulfilling, others have marriages that have ended (or are on the verge of ending). What is remarkable about this film is that we never feel like voyeurs: the people are so articulate about their own feelings that the movie becomes something of a shared experience between the audience and the subjects of the documentary. There are not many people alive who will not understand the feelings of frustration or anxiety that many of Apted's subjects have now that they are in their early forties. If the movie is not quite as engaging as the series' highpoint, [i]21 Up[/i], it is because the characters are occasionally resigned to their fate rather than still brimming with optimism and hope. Yet in many ways, [i]42 Up [/i]is the most poignant of the series to date, because as these people have grown older, they have learned more about the occasionally harsh but frequently wonderful realities of life. Apted has constructed a documentary series that is as profound and moving as any ever made...and I can only hope that all of the people I have come to care about in these documentaries are still around to tell their stories at the age of 49.[/size].

[size=3](BASIC)[/size].