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35 Up continues what surely must be the longest-running sociological documentary in history. It's also extraordinary and engrossing filmmaking on the part of its creator, Michael Apted. In 1963, Apted served as assistant director on the first installment of the British television-funded project,
Seven Up, which asked a cross-section of English schoolkids about their outlook on life, and dreams and hopes for the future. Apted vowed afterward that he'd visit the same individuals every seven years and continue the project. Up to this point, only three have found the self-assessment project too painful or tedious to continue (though, numerous subjects voice their displeasure during this film, raising complex moral questions about its voyeuristic drive). The first four installments were compiled into a theatrical release,
28 Up, so that the jarring twists and turns experienced by all of the characters appeared more obvious and made for compelling viewing. Since, now, only seven years have passed, life's changes here are far subtler. What eventually emerges is an overwhelming recognition that youth is dimming, replaced, in the majority of cases, by routine.
35 Up is a much more somber and, at times, more melancholy study. Many speak, disillusioned, about regret and lost dreams, while a few seem content at best, thankful that they achieved some of their original goals. Family problems, like coping with the deaths of parents or raising children, now replace questions and concerns about career direction that dominated much of the earlier entries. Apted plans to continue his poignant work about the passage of time around the millennium.
--Dave McCoy
