Monday, June 23, 2008

MOVIE: 28 UP



ABOUT: The Up Series consists of a series of documentary films that have followed the lives of fourteen British children since 1964, when they were seven years old. The children were selected to represent the range of socio-economic backgrounds in Britain at that time, with the explicit assumption that each child's social class predetermines their future. Every seven years, the director, Michael Apted, films new material from as many of the fourteen as he can get to participate. The latest film, 49 Up, was released in September 2005; filming for the next instalment in the series, 56 Up, is expected in late 2011 or early 2012.




MY REVIEW: It's been a while since I have been able to watch another Up film because of my recent trip to Florida and the fact that only half of 28 Up worked on Netflix Online so I had to rent it to watch the rest of it, but it was worth the wait. 28 Up is the best one in the series so far.

Everyone is a lot older now, some looking worse than others, looking more like 50 than 28. It's interesting to see some of them who at 21 said they were never having kids and now to be happily married with 2 or more kids, which is most of them by now. Except for a few, like the guy who graduated from Oxford but now teaches at a poor school by choice because he likes it more and since he keeps to himself, doesn't care for a relationship or ever having kids, he might as well join the clergy.

The most interesting one is Neil who was basically almost homeless in 21 Up and is now living in a trailer in the countryside. He likes it out there because it is quiet but I guess not quiet enough because he mentions suicide a lot and how depressed he always is. His is a sad story and even though I haven't seen the other films yet, I read that it gets brighter.

By the end of the film I couldn't think of one interview that was boring, unlike 14 Up and 21 Up, which had it's moments of sleep induced talking. Everyone in 28 Up has something interesting to say. It's even interesting to see who didn't want to be in the film. I don't have any upcoming vacations besides 4th of July weekend, so hopefully I will be able to watch one or two more of the Up films before then. I can't wait to see what they are like in their 30s.


MY CHEESY RATING: 28 Up is higher on the scale with a 7 out of 10.



BUY "THE UP SERIES" FROM AMAZON.COM FOR $89.99


MY REVIEWS OF SEVEN UP!, 7 PLUS SEVEN AND 21 UP

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