Review of 56 Up (2012) by Michael W — 08 Mar 2015

An amazing experience I don't know about watching each part separately, like 7 up and 16 up and so on. But as one, two hour long film that captures each of the interviewed characters in diffrent parts in there life as they grow up from 8 to 56 is a weirdly great two hour meditation on life itself.

Through movie critic Roger Ebert, who got a whole new wave of fans after his documentary Life Itself, which I admit is how I came to know about this film, that moment in Life Itself- in his hospital bed in that film he talks about the film as he talks to someone while hold the disc in his hand, since I kept my eye out for it and not surprisingly it was a brilliant presentation of not necessarily the whole spectrum of lives or emotions or mental psyche of its stars whos' lives are rolled out on screen one by one from a black and white film as innocent kids to who they have become today.

There's no way I can remember all the peoples life stories, especially since this is the first time seeing them or being tolled there stories in one quick but holding flow, but what I will do is tell one of the many peoples' live's that I found very interesting. One of the kids (Neil Hughs) goes through life almost completely homeless, getting a place to stay here and there- but the most bewildering part is the guy seems although a little bonkers, he also seemed over-whelming intellectual, at least with his words as scenes of his talks with camera.

From a child in school to a young adult in a dirty, pealing wallpaper apartment and years later in a baron stretch of country obviously hitchhiking, looking rather warn out. He was admitted but he felt the treatment was not moving fast enough and felt going it on his own would be a faster treatment to his weird nature, although not at all a proper medically correct second option, he is still well spoken for a jobless guy who wants to be in politics, who really waste it away eventually when the film catches up with him he is in small community as a councilor for the towns political committee, still living kinda'rough but found a sustainable solace in the friendship in the people, but clearly still not at peace- with no partner nor a real purpose or job.

An amazingly mind changing view as a fairly under-accomplished 17 year old, this films people, not necessarily there full felling or views are let out through the camera but enough to relate or complex your own views on life, I felt I needed to get off my ass while watching with these people who do more then I, who also don't reach those goals as old age catch's up with them, yet some or most find something in the the lifestyle they live,.. not at inner-peace like a monk but content enough.

They are fine almost all with there current circumstances.

An admiral documentary with an even more admiral goal to achieve- by capturing these peoples' beings every 7 years, can't wait for the next one hopefully then I also will find something to reach as goal, or maybe this site will explode. In any case a life-documentary that question it's viewer more then the lives it shows us.