本部纪录片是导演迈克尔·艾普特从1964年开始拍摄的纪录片系列的第八部。迈克尔·艾普特在1964年为英国BBC电视台拍摄了记录片《7 Up》，采访来自英国不同阶层的十四个七岁的小孩子，他们有的来自孤儿院，有的是上层社会的小孩。此后每隔七年，艾普特都会重新采访当年的这些孩子，倾听他们的梦想，畅谈他们的生活。人生行至大半，岁月蹉跎。是悔恨感慨，还是遥想当年风华正茂。年华终有老去的一天，可生活仍将继续。 　　陪伴这些孩子度过半个世纪的导演迈克尔•艾普特也已两鬓斑白，《人生七年》还将继续。

In 1964 werd een groep 7-jarigen geselecteerd door Michael Apted voor interviews over hun leven, familie, werk en toekomstplannen, om ze vervolgens weer om de zeven jaar te bezoeken. Inmiddels zijn de kinderen 56 jaar en vertellen ze opnieuw wat er in de laatste zeven jaar van hun leven is gebeurd.

When a cross-section of seven-year-olds were interviewed for 7 Up in 1964 it was immediately evident that their social backgrounds influenced their attitudes towards life. While the upper class children were confident and self-assured, those from middle and working class backgrounds were resigned to a challenging life of hard work. This premise was put to the test every seven years when the same group were interviewed about the progression of their lives. 49 years in the making, the changes that occurred to the original 14 make for fascinating television and are in many ways the stories of all our lives. From success and disappointment, marriage and childbirth, to poverty and illness, nearly every facet of life has been captured on film. Now, at the age of 56, the group are once more brought together and, with the benefit of hindsight, assess whether their lives have been ruled by circumstance or self-determination.