28 UP

Predicated on the maxim, “Give me a child until he is 7 and I will give you the man,” the filming of 14 English 7-year-olds began in 1963 for the BBC. Director Michael Apted (“Coal Miner's Daughter”) continued the interviews every 7 years. Diverse socio-economic and racial backgrounds are reflected in the children's candid prejudices, values and dreams, fulfilled or abandoned, with some unpredictable transformations, in their adult lives at 28. Alternately hilarious and disturbing aspects of these personalities develop before one's eyes, a revealing portrait of a still alive and unwell British class structure – in which many, however complacent or unaware, remain trapped. 28 UP is one of the most fascinating documentaries ever made.