GRADE: 8
Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.
Director: Michael Apted, Paul Almond
Country: UK
THOUGHTS:
A common theme runs through this episode in the series: gratitude, a sense that good fortune has smiled upon them with good friends, spouses, and children brightening their lives. With some participants, their class privilege clearly seems to have played a role in their development, but that doesn’t seem to necessarily translate to their politics, as working class Tony comes off as the biggest Tory-ite in the series. As in the past, Neil Hughes, the anxiety-suffering, homeless dropout-cum-politician. The dignity with which he seems to keep his life afloat despite his setbacks gives the series its biggest emotional punch. Also as per usual, the participants almost uniformly state that the series has been nothing but a bane personally, but that they feel drawn to stick with the project.