Update: The entire documentary is now available for online viewing!

Rarely do I get excited about documentaries, but last night I stumbled across one that is a “must watch” for youth ministers. 21 Up in America is the third installment of a little-known documentary project following the lives of 14 young Americans. The first documentary was produced in 1991 when the children were just seven years old. The filmakers revisited the children at age 14, and now again at 21 years of age. The project is scheduled to continue every seven years indefinitely.21 Up America is both inspiring and chilling as you watch the lives of young people literally unfold before you. In one frame a 7-year-old talks about her dreams for life, then suddenly the same person sits before you as a 21-year-old sharing the truth of the matter. Mom and Dad got divorced. Alienated from parents. Got accepted to a top university. Committed a crime. Became a Christian. Rejected religion. The stories unfold across an hour and forty minutes as kids from across the country and a variety of socio-economic backgrounds share their thoughts and dreams about living in America at age 21 while we catch glimpses of their answers and situations at age 7 and 14.

The whole project is based upon the ground-breaking work of British filmmaker Michael Apted who in 1964 undertook the same project with a group of seven-year-old British children. More than forty years later the project is still going and recently released the film 49 Up showing the reality of these people’s lives on the cusp of their sixth decade.

The British films can be rented (or viewed online) from Netflix, but the American version is absolutely impossible to find. I literally could find nowhere to rent or buy a DVD. There is apparently no official webpage, and web searches return little but obscure references. Even the IMDB entry is mostly blank.I can’t find the first installment Age 7 in America, nor the second, 14 Up America. (If anyone has a copy of either, I’d love to borrow!) But lucky for you, “a friend” was able to locate and make available 21 Up America (2006). The first 16 minutes are now online, the remainder will be available soon. The entire documentary is now available for viewing (it should appear linked in from another site above).

Again, I believe this is a must watch for those working with children, youth and college students. It gives an intriguing glimpse into child and adolescent development, captures an (albeit limited) picture of young America today, and I think inspires us to rethink how we view and treat the young people under our care who are in the act of becoming.I’d love to hear your thoughts after you view the film!(If the inline video isn’t working, try this link.)