[3.9]
The second film in the “Up” series is just as good as the first, and offers the first example of how these “characters” will change as they grow older, how their lives will conform to some aspects that we saw in the first film, and how some of their views and choices will contradict our expectations. At the age of 14, these children are now posed more questions regarding politics and the situation in Britain. As the narrator pointedly remarks, the rich children noted which school they would attend following the first film, and they all did exactly as they had planned. The other children, however, have given up or altered their destinies. In a sense, they have much greater freedom than the wealthy kids, whose futures seem almost set in stone for them. It was also interesting to hear that most of the participants either resented or didn’t understand the point of these programs. In a sense, the program becomes a commentary on itself and the desire of audiences to poke into other people’s lives (the forerunner to reality tv, for sure). One boy has moved to Australia, another remains quiet and seemingly unhappy on his farm, the rich boys are dressed and act with almost the same assuredness as when they were seven (save for one of them, whose hair has grown long and who seems to be rebelling against his privileges), and the East End girls have split up, one choosing to go to a grammer school while 2 others go to a “Comprehensive.” The most interesting thing to notice is how they all seem to have secured a political voice, even if they don’t understand its implications. They declare their support for labor or conservative parties, although some confess that they have no very little about politics. Its just a part of their background and family (one can guess), and they are already down roads that are only partly their choosing (partly their parents, the education system, the class system). While watching these films one after another in an afternoon, its easy to forget how much change can take place in the span of seven years. I am anxious to see more.
burning retina 