I learn something new everyday or at least I hope so. Today, I learned that America tried its hand at an Up Series documentary. Inspired by the British series, the American series began with Age 7 in America, a documentary about a group of 7 years olds living in different sections of the country. The series has only made it to Age 21 in America (Age 28 would be due out next year), but none of these films can be easily found.
I was tipped off about this series while talking to my tattoo artist friend Julio. He asked me to track down a documentary he saw many years ago that featured a kid from Milwaukee, along with many other kids. I’m not certain if Age 7 in America is the film he saw, as no character appears to be from Milwaukee. Though one cute, but confused child informs the audience that if he could live anywhere he’d live in Milwaukee because there is only one cop in all of Milwaukee.
You can watch the film here, on Vimeo
http://vimeo.com/12687896
The video is introduced by Meryl Streep. I’d be curious to see the whole series, though it doesn’t look as interesting as its British counterpart. Though, I also learned that many other countries have tried this form of documentary series.
Accept Your Curse 