As cinematic social documentation, Michael Apted's "Up" series is unparalleled. It began with a British television special, "7 Up," which observed a group of 14 disparate English 7-year-olds at play and in interviews, with the promise to follow them through the year 2000 (or perhaps beyond).

Apted has kept his promise so far, checking in on these people every seven years, with "14 Up," "21 Up," "28 Up" and now "35 Up."

While a few of the subjects (or their spouses) have declined to be interviewed for certain segments, most have allowed Apted to invade their privacy for follow-up shows. The result is a fascinating look at the dreams of children, the aspirations of youths and the goals they may or may not have achieved as adults.

In "35 Up," which incorporates footage from all the previous documentaries, we begin with insecure Paul, who has a modest success story with his wife and children in Australia where they have learned to be content with what life has dealt them. Apted concludes with the saddest and most charismatic character, Neil, a drifter who was homeless in "28 Up" and has now settled in Scotland's Shetland Islands, though he is still rather restless. As a child, Neil was bright and eager, seemingly as well-adjusted as anyone in the group.

Aside from Neil, the most startling change in personality has come to Suzy, a chain-smoking rebel at 21 who vowed to never marry or have children. Now, at 35, she is happily married and has three youngsters with a cheerful appearance and demeanor that belie her early years.

Among the others are Tony, a cabbie whose young dream was to be a jockey; Bruce, who aspired to be a missionary to Africa and is now a teacher in Bangladesh; John, a barrister who declined to be interviewed in "28 Up" but lets us catch up with his life in this edition; Jackie and Sue, who are both working-class divorced single parents; Lynn, a wife and mother diagnosed with a serious illness that is currently in remission; Nick, a college science professor living with his family in Wisconsin; etc.

As you might expect, these people's lives are not all that different from our own — as they grow older, each becomes more mature in his or her thinking; they watch their parents grow older and, in some cases, pass away; they have children and become more mellow; some divorce and some find their relationships strengthened through adversity . . . . In other words, "35 Up" is about life, real life from childhood through adulthood.

Apted also looks at the impact of this ongoing documentary on their lives. John says at one point that he "bitterly regrets" being a part of the series, comparing it to "a little pill of poison" that comes into his life every seven years.

"35 Up," which is not rated but does have a couple of profanities on the soundtrack, is simple, understated and utterly fascinating from start to finish. For anyone interested in the human condition — and aren't we all — this is must-see viewing.