Have you ever seen footage of yourself at age seven—a chatty child overflowing with curiosity, energy, and trust? Do you recognize that hopeful little boy or girl? If you’ve ever experienced such a rush of feeling, or can just imagine it, you’ll get a thrill from 63 Up, the latest installment of Michael Apted’s combination of biographic documentary, humanist experiment, and social history. 

Apted is identified as the director of the “Up” project, but cineastes know he started as a researcher on the long-running series. Produced by the commercial network Granada Television, Seven Up! (1964) captured a group of seven year olds with an eye toward dissecting Britain’s class system and testing the maxim, “Give me a child till he is seven and I will give you the man.” Apted questioned the children on their aspirations for school, money, careers, and love. When Granada decided to film the participants individually to see where they were later in their lives in 7 Plus Seven (1970), Apted was the director. 21 Up (1977) and more installments followed. Subjects cycled in and out of the project. Now, at 63, all take stock of their time on earth and face mortality. 

Jockey-turned-cabbie Tony approaches life with brassy cockney humor, although he rues the bath he took in the recession in the Spanish property market. We see Jackie upbraiding Apted in 49 Up (2005) for his past condescending treatment of the women in the series: “You asked the most mundane, domestic questions, I just wanted to go arrgh!” Meanwhile, Nick faces a grim cancer diagnosis. The film reveals all of the participants at different stages, first as children boldly dreaming and later looking back on their childish selves and reflecting on how their plans had worked out. “I’m the same little kid,” muses Nick.

Aside from the bittersweet reflections on change, class, and the passing of time, a few themes emerge. One is a sense of old-school British fortitude. The interviewees answer questions honestly and straightfowardly, indulging in little of the self-absorption, drama, and excuse-making you would dread from Americans enrolled in a similar experiment.

Another striking observation is the worthiness of the lives on display. This is a talented, resilient bunch. All participants have experienced losses like divorce, professional disappointments, or death, but they still manage to work, create, and, above all, support and give to others. In a particularly inspiring story, Paul and Symon, who met at seven in a children’s home, have remained lifelong friends, visiting each other in Britain and Australia; Symon has fostered over 30 children himself. As Paul says, “There’s just no place for regrets in this world.” Neil, who copes with mental illness, rounds out the film on a more melancholy note, but he still vows to make a positive difference in his new community.

63 Up unfurls in a parade of different film stocks, fashions, and moods. What stays the same is the sense of every life’s singularity and preciousness. This film will make you look at yourself and the world around you with a sense of wonder and, ideally, empathy. As to the question of whether the child makes the adult, the answer is the same as so many in adult life: yes and no.