21 Up
1977·Documentary·1h 40m
7.1
★
After another 7 year wait, director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born children from Seven Up! and 7 Plus Seven. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.
Directed by Michael Apted
IMDB
N/A
Cast
Tony Walker
Self
Jacqueline Bassett
Self
Charles Furneaux
Self
Bruce Balden
Self
Andrew Brackfield
Self
Neil Hughes
Self
Nicholas Hitchon
Self
Susan Sullivan
Self
John Brisby
Self
Peter Davies
Self
Suzanne Dewey
Self
Symon Basterfield
Self
Crew
Michael Apted
Director
Michael Apted
Producer
Popular Reviews
19 reviews
PoochieVince
8.0★ · 03/17/26
It is genuinely wild to watch the "seven-year-old magic" evaporate in real-time.
There’s a heavy layer of cynicism here that makes for a pretty bleak viewing experience—it doesn't exactly drive up the enthusiasm to keep going when almost every subject looks at the camera and says how pointless this whole project is.
And yet, that’s exactly why it works. It’s the ultimate "life comes at you fast" documentary.
There’s a heavy layer of cynicism here that makes for a pretty bleak viewing experience—it doesn't exactly drive up the enthusiasm to keep going when almost every subject looks at the camera and says how pointless this whole project is.
And yet, that’s exactly why it works. It’s the ultimate "life comes at you fast" documentary.
It is genuinely wild to watch the "seven-year-old magic" evaporate in real-time.
There’s a heavy layer of cynicism here that makes for a pretty bleak viewing experience—it doesn't exactly drive up the enthusiasm to keep going when almost every subject looks at the camera and says how pointless this whole project is.
And yet, that’s exactly why it works. It’s the ultimate "life comes at you fast" documentary.
There’s a heavy layer of cynicism here that makes for a pretty bleak viewing experience—it doesn't exactly drive up the enthusiasm to keep going when almost every subject looks at the camera and says how pointless this whole project is.
And yet, that’s exactly why it works. It’s the ultimate "life comes at you fast" documentary.
Greg Mako
I’m worried, a lot of them already seem to have middle-aged sadness at 21
I’m worried, a lot of them already seem to have middle-aged sadness at 21
Annoying Girl
8.0★ · 07/18/25
Just makes u depressed rly
Just makes u depressed rly
cyrian
6.4★ · 06/13/25
je pense que tous les enchaîner c’est pas forcément le meilleur truc à faire donc jvais attendre un peu avant de voir le 4eme
je pense que tous les enchaîner c’est pas forcément le meilleur truc à faire donc jvais attendre un peu avant de voir le 4eme
Michael F
8.0★ · 03/20/25
it just kills me every time they clip back to seven year old neil. the change in him from the original to 7 plus seven shocked/scared/entirely confused me until peter brings up both his parents being teachers possibly creating a more pressurized environment. neil less so talks about things but more around them, i.e. less about his parents, teachers as people, but instead his perception of their philosophies. even so through his unease with the relationship between adults and children it becomes a smudge clearer how he “grew askew”. neil seems to view his cute and chirpy younger self as some idiosyncratic bug in his code that was never supposed to exist, almost as if he’s fully resigned to the identity as this difficult to exist in shape he’s twisted into. of course it remains impossible to be objective though as they’re real people outside these 100 minutes.
something significant i noticed— every other participant is filmed at some point with friends, family, coworkers, etc. basically someone relevant in the context of their life. however never once is susie filmed with anyone. you hear all the other participants parts talk about the affects said relevant people have had on them and vice versa, while susie only mention their name in a very sterilized way in which their existence is only a dot on the i within the subject. read: i went to paris because of my parents. i’m going to australia for two months with my cousin. and that’s it. her segment was especially depressing despite (or exacerbated by) her chicly placed purse and chicly held cigarette. very stereotypically bell-jarred privately educated midcentury aptitude. they also filmed her alone (albeit with a dog) in the previous movie but not the first, which makes me wonder if they’re pushing a particular narrative after catching on to a shifting mood while filming the second one. when asked what they think of susie, the three eastend girls can’t say, because they don’t know enough about susie, yet somehow might’ve been spot on about her— “we might’ve had even more opportunities than susie because of what she’s been conditioned to.”
it’s hard to “rate” these movies individually, maybe i will take them off once i finish the series, but i think liked this more than the first two. my favorites are neil, simon, and susan in no particular order. john remains “a massive wanker” as the locals would say.
something significant i noticed— every other participant is filmed at some point with friends, family, coworkers, etc. basically someone relevant in the context of their life. however never once is susie filmed with anyone. you hear all the other participants parts talk about the affects said relevant people have had on them and vice versa, while susie only mention their name in a very sterilized way in which their existence is only a dot on the i within the subject. read: i went to paris because of my parents. i’m going to australia for two months with my cousin. and that’s it. her segment was especially depressing despite (or exacerbated by) her chicly placed purse and chicly held cigarette. very stereotypically bell-jarred privately educated midcentury aptitude. they also filmed her alone (albeit with a dog) in the previous movie but not the first, which makes me wonder if they’re pushing a particular narrative after catching on to a shifting mood while filming the second one. when asked what they think of susie, the three eastend girls can’t say, because they don’t know enough about susie, yet somehow might’ve been spot on about her— “we might’ve had even more opportunities than susie because of what she’s been conditioned to.”
it’s hard to “rate” these movies individually, maybe i will take them off once i finish the series, but i think liked this more than the first two. my favorites are neil, simon, and susan in no particular order. john remains “a massive wanker” as the locals would say.
it just kills me every time they clip back to seven year old neil. the change in him from the original to 7 plus seven shocked/scared/entirely confused me until peter brings up both his parents being teachers possibly creating a more pressurized environment. neil less so talks about things but more around them, i.e. less about his parents, teachers as people, but instead his perception of their philosophies. even so through his unease with the relationship between adults and children it becomes a smudge clearer how he “grew askew”. neil seems to view his cute and chirpy younger self as some idiosyncratic bug in his code that was never supposed to exist, almost as if he’s fully resigned to the identity as this difficult to exist in shape he’s twisted into. of course it remains impossible to be objective though as they’re real people outside these 100 minutes.
something significant i noticed— every other participant is filmed at some point with friends, family, coworkers, etc. basically someone relevant in the context of their life. however never once is susie filmed with anyone. you hear all the other participants parts talk about the affects said relevant people have had on them and vice versa, while susie only mention their name in a very sterilized way in which their existence is only a dot on the i within the subject. read: i went to paris because of my parents. i’m going to australia for two months with my cousin. and that’s it. her segment was especially depressing despite (or exacerbated by) her chicly placed purse and chicly held cigarette. very stereotypically bell-jarred privately educated midcentury aptitude. they also filmed her alone (albeit with a dog) in the previous movie but not the first, which makes me wonder if they’re pushing a particular narrative after catching on to a shifting mood while filming the second one. when asked what they think of susie, the three eastend girls can’t say, because they don’t know enough about susie, yet somehow might’ve been spot on about her— “we might’ve had even more opportunities than susie because of what she’s been conditioned to.”
it’s hard to “rate” these movies individually, maybe i will take them off once i finish the series, but i think liked this more than the first two. my favorites are neil, simon, and susan in no particular order. john remains “a massive wanker” as the locals would say.
something significant i noticed— every other participant is filmed at some point with friends, family, coworkers, etc. basically someone relevant in the context of their life. however never once is susie filmed with anyone. you hear all the other participants parts talk about the affects said relevant people have had on them and vice versa, while susie only mention their name in a very sterilized way in which their existence is only a dot on the i within the subject. read: i went to paris because of my parents. i’m going to australia for two months with my cousin. and that’s it. her segment was especially depressing despite (or exacerbated by) her chicly placed purse and chicly held cigarette. very stereotypically bell-jarred privately educated midcentury aptitude. they also filmed her alone (albeit with a dog) in the previous movie but not the first, which makes me wonder if they’re pushing a particular narrative after catching on to a shifting mood while filming the second one. when asked what they think of susie, the three eastend girls can’t say, because they don’t know enough about susie, yet somehow might’ve been spot on about her— “we might’ve had even more opportunities than susie because of what she’s been conditioned to.”
it’s hard to “rate” these movies individually, maybe i will take them off once i finish the series, but i think liked this more than the first two. my favorites are neil, simon, and susan in no particular order. john remains “a massive wanker” as the locals would say.