7 Plus Seven (1970)

July 23, 2015 8:08 AM

The 2nd film in director Michael Apted's Up Series revisits the same group of British-born children from Seven Up when they're now 14 years old.
posted by mediareport (7 comments total)

Interspersing flashbacks to the previous interview, this installment finds the adolescents sometimes painfully shy (Nicholas and Suzie) and sometimes awfully cocksure (John). Most of them are at the schools they predicted at age 7 they'd be attending, and some take the time to renounce some of the statements they made as a child.

Simon, the one black participant, has changed his career plan from film star to electrical engineer. Suzie has given up ballet. Andrew admits he didn't really read the Financial Times as a 7-year-old, among "several blunders" in his earlier interview; Charles pushes back against John's conservative stand on striking workers; Lindsey plans on working as a shop clerk, and all of them discuss various other subjects ranging from God to hippies to the fairness of inherited wealth.

All in all, a much richer and more interesting episode than the first.
posted by mediareport at 8:34 AM on July 23, 2015

Oh, and Suzie's dog kills a rabbit.
posted by mediareport at 8:34 AM on July 23, 2015

I watched the director's commentary on this once and he commented wryly on the special kind of hell that is trying to get 14-year olds to talk.
posted by bq at 6:15 PM on July 23, 2015 [2 favorites]

Watching Nicholas try to hide himself during his interview was almost painful.
posted by mediareport at 5:18 AM on July 24, 2015

> the special kind of hell that is trying to get 14-year olds to talk.

14 year olds being constantly reminded of their 7 year old selves, no less. They'd be plenty awkward just on their own, but when they start off correcting their earlier selves it's a whole other layer on top of whoever they actually are.
posted by tchemgrrl at 7:45 AM on July 24, 2015

I love being able to see these people, just as people, going from stage to stage and remaining themselves but with the ever increasing layers of experience adding to their essential selves. It's utterly fascinating, when watched from a distance. Seven years between installments seems perfect.

The distance between 7 and 14 is immense. Childhood abandon to pubescent confusion, all writ large here.
posted by h00py at 8:04 AM on July 24, 2015 [2 favorites]

Oh, and Suzie's dog kills a rabbit

So unsettling! So unsettling.
posted by Going To Maine at 5:14 PM on July 28, 2015