The story of Growing up: Following Swiss children into school
Growing up is a 2024 documentary that does something deceptively simple yet remarkably difficult—it watches. The film follows a group of Swiss children from their first day of school through their fourth year, capturing the unfiltered moments that define early childhood. No narration voice-over explaining what we should feel. No dramatic music cues. Just kids being kids, navigating friendships, conflicts, learning, and the messy business of becoming themselves. At 113 minutes, it's long enough to breathe, to let scenes unfold naturally, to watch a single friendship drama play out across multiple takes rather than cutting away the moment it gets uncomfortable.
What's striking is how the film trusts its audience to find meaning in the ordinary. A child struggling to tie their shoes. A classroom argument over a toy. A moment of genuine kindness between two kids who were fighting moments before. These aren't set pieces—they're the actual texture of early school life, and the documentary captures them with patience that feels increasingly rare in filmmaking.
Behind the making of Growing up: Production and creative vision
Produced by JMH & FILO Films, Growing up was shot and assembled with the kind of long-form observational approach that requires serious commitment from its filmmakers. The production didn't rush—following the same cohort of children over four years means the crew had to build trust with families, navigate school permissions, and maintain consistent access in ways that modern documentary production often skips. That longitudinal approach is what gives the film its weight. You're not watching a snapshot of childhood; you're watching development happen.
The documentary premiered in 2024 and has since found its way onto major streaming platforms, making it accessible to audiences far beyond Swiss art-house cinemas. Movie OTT tracks where documentaries like this land across different services, and Growing up's availability on major OTT platforms means families and educators can now access it without geographical barriers. The film hasn't chased festival accolades or box-office numbers in the traditional sense—it's the kind of work that builds reputation through word-of-mouth and programming decisions by curators who recognize something genuine when they see it.
What makes Growing up stand out as observational cinema
Honestly, the hardest part of watching Growing up is resisting the urge to psychoanalyze every interaction. A child's withdrawal from group play. The way one kid becomes the class mediator. The child who's always testing boundaries. You'll recognize patterns—some of them might remind you of yourself at that age, or of kids you know now. That recognition is where the film's power lives.
What separates Growing up from other children-focused documentaries is its refusal to impose a narrative arc where one doesn't naturally exist. There's no "triumph over adversity" story. There's no redemption narrative. There's just the messy, non-linear reality of how kids actually develop—with setbacks and breakthroughs that don't follow screenplay structure. One moment a child seems confident; the next moment they're overwhelmed. That's not a flaw in the filmmaking; that's the point. The cinematography is clean and observational without being intrusive, letting us see without feeling like we're watching through a hidden camera. The editing respects duration—scenes aren't cut to their snappiest moment but allowed to unfold at their own pace, which is exactly what childhood requires if you want to understand it.
I keep coming back to one aspect: the film's treatment of conflict. When kids argue—and they do, frequently—the documentary doesn't cut away or smooth over the rough edges. Instead, we watch how they navigate disagreement, how they repair relationships, how they learn (or don't learn) from friction. That's educational in a way that no talking-head expert could be. Teachers and parents watching this will see their own classrooms and homes reflected back at them, which can be uncomfortable. That discomfort is valuable.
Where to stream Growing up online
Growing up is currently available on major OTT services, and if you're looking for where to watch it right now, the Where to Watch widget at the top of this page will show you which platforms have it in your region. Streaming availability shifts regularly, so checking that widget before you click play saves the frustration of hunting through your subscriptions. Movie OTT keeps that information current across Netflix, Prime Video, and other major services, so you'll know instantly whether it's on something you already subscribe to or if you need to rent it separately.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Is Growing up a fiction film or a real documentary?
Growing up is a straightforward documentary following actual Swiss children over four years of their early schooling. There's no scripting or reenactment—everything you're watching happened naturally in front of the camera.
Q: How long is Growing up and can I watch it with kids?
The film runs 113 minutes, which is substantial but not unwieldy. Whether you watch it with children depends on their age and attention span, but it's not a kids' entertainment film—it's a documentary for adults who want to understand childhood more deeply.
Q: Who directed Growing up and what's their background?
Growing up was produced by JMH & FILO Films, bringing together filmmakers committed to long-form observational documentary work. Their approach prioritizes authenticity over conventional storytelling structures.
Q: What's the IMDb rating for Growing up?
The film currently has limited IMDb data, which is typical for documentaries that find their primary audience through streaming platforms and festival circuits rather than traditional theatrical release.
Q: Is Growing up based on a true story?
Growing up is a true story in the most literal sense—it documents real children's actual experiences over a four-year period. There's no narrative construction beyond what genuinely unfolded in those Swiss classrooms.
Final thoughts on Growing up
Growing up won't give you easy answers about childhood development, and that's exactly why you should watch it. It's a film for anyone who's ever wondered what actually happens in a classroom when the adults aren't performing for cameras, or who's curious about how kids really learn to navigate the social world. It's patient. It's honest. It's the kind of documentary that sticks with you days after you finish watching—not because it's flashy or emotionally manipulative, but because it shows you something true. If you've got the time and the patience for observational cinema that trusts its audience, Growing up is worth seeking out on your preferred streaming platform.
