49 Up (2005)

Life is short, yet slow and unpredictable. Who are we to judge if we've made a difference in the world, or to predict what might happen in the future? The people in "49 Up" have had to contemplate every 7 years the major decisions they've made in that period of time, evidently because director Michael Apted won't leave them alone. But there's a reason for that--and you would know it, emotionally, after watching this overwhelming 2 hour 15 minute segment.

"49 Up" may be the best documentary I've seen since "Hoop Dreams". The seventh chapter in a filmmaking experiment, originally conceptualized in 1964 as a British working-class study ("Give me a child at seven, and I will show you the man"), is very similar to the 1994 basketball saga, not to mention that Roger Ebert loves to endorse both, but in that both give you glimpses of lives and ambitions in motion. However, the difference is that this film goes one step further: it takes place long after the ambitions were fulfilled or denied, attempting to give enough closure for either result.

All but one of the protagonists are white, most living in a middle-class society, most divorced at least once. But all appear to be content with their lives, repeatedly stating that they are "happy"-- it's obvious that we're not seeing all of these people's lives, and some loose ends are left hanging. They're also somewhat irritated that they have to still be in these movies. Is it right for everyone to be able to see what these people are doing? Maybe not, but all for the sake of art.

One thing that stuck out in my mind while watching this was that there are never any questions or comments about religion (apart from the final protagonist, who discusses his preference for the older Testament over the New). You would think that religion could be a significant part of people's lives. Or maybe my Jewish upbringing puts those thoughts in my head.

Regardless, I haven't seen any of the previous segments, so this one felt like a giant load of character for me (it contains footage from all the others, so it's like a combination of each). But this works to an advantage, because we can see distinct parallels and differences in all of their lives, and, knowing that these aren't just characters on screen, but real people, allows us to contrast our lives, where we've been (if over or near 49) and where we may be going (if significantly under 49, like me), to these seemingly run-of-the-mill characters. They may not like it if we judge them--and nobody will ever blame them--but the rewards for moviegoers (not to mention humanity) are endless. Here's to "56 Up".

Grade: A