

User Score
7 votes
Seven Up series the first ever reality soap. The concept involves filming and getting to know a number of children, aged seven, across the nation. These children are then re-visited every 7 years to see how their lives are progressing. A varied group of children from different regions and social classes were selected. The Soviet group includes children from across the union, including Russia, Kirgizstan, Georgia and Lithuania. The filming took place during a time of civil and ethnic unrest and poverty.
Director
Status
Released
Original Language
RU

When a cross-section of seven-year-olds were interviewed for 7 Up in 1964 it was immediately evident that their social backgrounds influenced their attitudes towards life. While the upper class children were confident and self-assured, those from middle and working class backgrounds were resigned to a challenging life of hard work. This premise was put to the test every seven years when the same group were interviewed about the progression of their lives. 49 years in the making, the changes that occurred to the original 14 make for fascinating television and are in many ways the stories of all our lives. From success and disappointment, marriage and childbirth, to poverty and illness, nearly every facet of life has been captured on film. Now, at the age of 56, the group are once more brought together and, with the benefit of hindsight, assess whether their lives have been ruled by circumstance or self-determination.

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.