Audience Member
My immediate reaction upon this conclusion is to wonder why there was no update or even any mention of Simon. He was one I was most excited to see again after the previous film and I hope everything is ok with him.
I think I have probably mentioned it each and every review but this is just becoming more and more remarkable with each future installment.
I still find myself with a soft spot for Neil but was maybe most excited to see Jacky with a child now. Jacky, Lynn, and Susan all seem to have remained quite grounded and have always felt like a down to earth trio throughout this whole project. I am a little worried about Lynn now and hope her medical issues are resolved.
I was glad to see John take part again after skipping last time, despite having the most repellent personality of the group, I still found his insights valuable. Even if his motives for renewing participation were more focused, I did find it interesting he seems to be currently working so hard to help the Bulgarian citizens, when he appeared to always be the most adamant about keeping England for the English. No coincidence I am sure, but he also married a Bulgarian diplomats daughter in the gap in filming and it actually brings me hope to see what appeared to be such rigidly steadfast beliefs change due to, what warms my heart to assume, the love of a woman.
This update was most poignant for me when the various subjects discussed the loss they had experienced in the intervening 7 years as all are now approaching middle age where many of us, who have not already, may start to lose some of the people closest to us. I appreciated the honest and raw descriptions of loss and grief which are yet another example of this series beautifully illustrating the interconnectedness of human beings in the way we perceive and experience the type of universally felt emotions that transcend any particular time or location. 8.5/10
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
01/20/23
Full Review
Audience Member
It must be an increasingly commonplace and inescapable experience for viewers catching up with the Ups to eventually catch up to the Ups in age—or maybe they catch up to us, as I have been 35 since starting the series, watching their bright and buoyant beginnings hurtle towards adulthood. In a way that is perhaps nonpareil in cinema history, the series existentially entangles itself in the lives of its audience by practically compelling you to take stock of your own circumstances: What were my opportunities and what were my hurdles? What have I done with myself (before I have done with myself)? And you may ask yourself, "well, how did I get here?" Or as Apted, ever so pointedly, asks poor Neil, "do you think you have failed? do you feel you have failed yourself?" Here, nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita, there's a certain sense of settling in among the Ups: Some have kids old enough to start a septennial series of their own, others have lost the parents who put them up to Up in the first place. The road ahead may be just as curvy, but at least it won't come as quickly.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
01/30/23
Full Review
david f
Brilliant documentary about a handful of Britons who are interviewed every 7 years starting when they were children. Here they are in their 30s.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
Audience Member
At first, the impression is that this is more of the same following what we saw in 28 Up, with very basic questions about work, marriage and family, but then the film grows much more interesting as it begins to take a deeper look into the complexities and nuances of those people's lives.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
02/14/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Another fascinating installment in the series, but its hampered by the reluctance of the director to explore deeper subject matter.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/16/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Heavy stuff! I feel like it just gets darker. It's crazy how much people change and how difficult it is to predict.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/23/23
Full Review
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